7 replies to this topic

[dwbno1]

Hi guys, thought some of you might be interested in this hotel as its a great location for Walking Street and soi 6

I've stayed here twice now in a deluxe corner room which is massive, nice big bed for your partner, or partners although hot water can be in short supply!

They do however charge 600 baht for your guest, double for two!!!! definately no problems taking back LB's but reception do insist on your guest being signed in with the completed paperwork being handed to the security guard who guards the lift!

The payment can be avoided by becoming a hotel member, no charge for this, this allows the hotel to e-mail you special offers etc so a very easy way of avoiding the guest charge but not the signing in paperwork and only entitles you to one free guest!!

A word of warning though, on my previous 2 visits my return departure has been 11pm at night and my guest for the day has used the room for that final night and although I had settled the bill in full including mini bar, reception charged her 2000 baht for alleged extras!!! When back in blighty she informed of this via e-mail and when I tackled the hotel manager via e-mail at my disgust at this happening twice with no reason they refunded the monies back to the lady in question, as we can all appreciate 2000 baht is alot of money to a Thai lady!

Apart from the above the hotel is good value for money but Iam looking at options for my 2 weeks stay in March 2010, cheers

[Dan9000]

Interesting post ecau

dwbno1, on 09 December 2009 - 07:28 PM, said:

Hi guys, thought some of you might be interested in this hotel as its a great location for Walking Street and soi 6

I've stayed here twice now in a deluxe corner room which is massive, nice big bed for your partner, or partners although hot water can be in short supply!

They do however charge 600 baht for your guest, double for two!!!! definately no problems taking back LB's but reception do insist on your guest being signed in with the completed paperwork being handed to the security guard who guards the lift!

The payment can be avoided by becoming a hotel member, no charge for this, this allows the hotel to e-mail you special offers etc so a very easy way of avoiding the guest charge but not the signing in paperwork and only entitles you to one free guest!!

A word of warning though, on my previous 2 visits my return departure has been 11pm at night and my guest for the day has used the room for that final night and although I had settled the bill in full including mini bar, reception charged her 2000 baht for alleged extras!!! When back in blighty she informed of this via e-mail and when I tackled the hotel manager via e-mail at my disgust at this happening twice with no reason they refunded the monies back to the lady in question, as we can all appreciate 2000 baht is alot of money to a Thai lady!

Apart from the above the hotel is good value for money but Iam looking at options for my 2 weeks stay in March 2010, cheers

Interesting post because on my last two visits to Patts, I stayed there too.

It's comfortable enough but I agree with your comments about the reception and security staff. For me, their Gestapo-like attitude spoiled the spontaniety of picking up a plaything and taking her home to bed.

The last time I stayed there I visited the dentist for some very good-value work. I needed to return to the dentist the following week but was already scheduled to leave for Bangkok and the Nana hotel. This meant a special trip from Bangkok back to Pattaya to visit the dentist again so I booked back into the Royal Twins for one night.

I reported to the reception upon my return to the Royal Twins and they asked to see my passport. I explained that it was in the safe in the reception of an hotel in Bangkok and that since I was only there in Pattaya for a dental appointment I didn't think it was necessary to carry my passport.

They were not going to allow me to stay in the hotel! "It's the law!"

I reminded them that I had just stayed there for two weeks and that I had stayed before and was an "Hotel member" (to avoid the joining fee) and so on, so they knew who I was (and that I was respectable and well behaved) and I asked if they could exercise some discretion and allow me to stay the night for which I was booked. They said that it was impossible.

Using all the patience and diplomacy possible, I eventually was able to talk to the lady in charge of the lady in charge and eventually, because they were able to refer to the old paperwork from the previous week and a "special favour for a returning client" they allowed me into the hotel for one night.

That took me 1 hour and 20 minutes of gentle chat at the reception desk to achieve!

As far as the Royal Twins Palace Hotel is concerned, I am planning a trip early in the new year but will not be using them again. I realise that they have to abide by the law but if I had to endure their distain when taking a GG back, there's no way I am going to take a LB back there. Your story about how they twice tried to rip you off with 'extras' bill illustrates their policy of arrogant greed. Added to that, I was on the side of the hotel overlooking an open air Thai restaurant with cabaret so there was little chance of getting to sleep before 2.30 AM.

I am shopping around right now for an alternative hotel and it appears that there are much better prices available at hotels of equal standing and at more convenient locations.

As an amusing aside, I had booked the taxi driver who had driven me from Bangkok to take me back to Nana the following morning. He turned up very early the following morning and the reception staff called my room to say he was there. I wasn't really ready for him but he didn't mind the wait (as long as he knew he still had the fare). It turned out that he had slept in his taxi in the car park since the previous day so it's clear just how much the business meant to him. TIT right? You've gotta love 'em.

[jcs]

It May be good, but does not seem to be worth the hassle, much better hotels available at less cost.

[luv u long time]

This was my regular hotel for about 8 years when they charged 1100 baht and unlimited guests.

The hotel started to show its age and refurb's were minimal. AND THEN, they started to push prices up and charge for guests.

I agree the location is superb, but I just find there is far too much competition these days to accept any negatives in a hotel choice.

Moving away Royal Twins has made me realise that for as long as any hotel is on the baht bus route, location (for as long as its not too far out) is not really a major deal.

Thanks for the info. It was nice to read about my old favourite.

CHeers

LULT

[robw]

I'm looking for a hotel in March,after reading your post won't be staying there.

Thanks for the info.

[Dan9000]

I was thinking a little more abut the attitude of the reception staff when I took GGs back to Royal Twins. They made me feel "less than proud of myself" while we had to jump through the hoops before the GG and I had to be cleared by the guard at the lift.

But who do they really think they are anyway?

Pattaya has one product on which it thrives and that is sex.
No sex, no thousands of money spending mongers.
No thousands of mongers, no hotels.
No hotels, no jobs for them.
So if you want to think about it, they are not much more than pimps themselves?

[Dan9000]

Oh! I forgot to mention this!

The last time I stayed at the Royal Twins, one morning upon returning to the hotel I was kept waiting at reception for my room key because there was a conversation going on just along the reception counter between a middle aged and respectable looking American couple, members of the hotel reception staff and two policemen.

It turned out that the couple had deposited a few hundred $US in the safe box behind the reception the previous evening and by that next morning it had all been STOLEN! The police had been called in immediately and they had asked who had been on night duty at the desk. They then attended the house of the woman who had been on duty and had found the money.

The woman had confessed to taking the money and had handed it all over to the police. She swore that she had come from work to home and gone straight to bed and that that was all the money that there was. But according to the American couple it was $200 short.

The police were being very calm and apologetic, saying that if that was all there was, maybe the guests had made a mistake and that there was nothing more that could be done about it. The guests controlled themselves very well but insisted that they knew exactly how much money they had deposited and that the amount the police were offering was short by $200. I listened to the conversation for a few minutes and of course I didn't know who was right, but judging from the tones of voice and body language of all concerned I kinda believed the Americans.

There were no assurances being made by the police of any legal proceedings being brought against the hotel receptionist. Their whole attitude seemed to be “These things happen and we are sorry for the inconvenience but just be glad you got most of your money back!”

Another woman entered reception and gave me my room key so I left and do not know how the story ends, but I learned two things from this.

One is that hotel safes are not necessarily the safest places to leave valuables when a member of the staff has access to the contents. If you insist on using that facility to deposit money, especially in any substantial amount, don’t allow the staff member to see what you are putting in the box. Not all Thais are the same of course, but now I have seen for myself that it only takes one bad one for things to go badly wrong.

The other is that the police might be deducting a handling charge for upholding the law.
Two policemen and a missing two hundred dollars. Coincidence?

TIT? Trust nobody but yourself!

[tom48]

Always use a small lock on the security boxes that they provide for you. That will make it less likely that anyone will try to take money out of your box.