I stay in a lot of hotels and this is unfortunately the first time I have been moved to warn others about one that I think should be avoided. Having researched using trip advisor and on balance discounting some of the earlier negatives in reviews of this hotel, I plunged in...at a good rate and good proximity. But let me warn you; if you are now following my footsteps and considering this hotel, stay away. There are many better hotels in this area of Bangkok for your money.

From beginning to end my experience at this hotel disappointed me and elevated my blood pressure at the end of what had been an otherwise great holiday in Hua Hin (an area highly recommended). The main cause - poor, sloppy customer service and a high turnover down market feel contrary to what I expect from a (newish) Sofitel branded hotel. Many of my gripes have been repeatedly mentioned in earlier reviews. I also read management responses on Trip Advisor citing new hotel teething problems. After now experiencing the hotel myself I would offer two messages for the GM - a) the honeymoon period is surely over and the hotel cannot use that excuse anymore; and b) the recurring negative themes that I read and have now experienced suggest some fundamental issues that the hotel has failed to tackle. You'll no doubt decide for yourself, but consider the following, and buyer beware;

Positives
- yes the rate is pretty good
- it is a new hotel and decor/ finish generally ok, though early indications are that it will tire quickly (given high guest turnover)
- they do seem to offer plenty of upgrades to the Platinum rooms, which do have separate bedroom & lounge/kitchenette (though as previously noted there are no plates, cutlery, glasses, anything you might use...so why the microwave, hob etc???)

Negatives
- On check in we were kept for 30 minutes because the hotel "lost" the reservation for one of my adjoining rooms (despite two calls to confirm it - note that they do not have interconnecting rooms).
- The three desk staff I dealt with had little concept of customer service and seemingly couldn't care - eventually I was given a take it or leave it. We were offered two rooms on a smoking floor (we'd booked non smoking) or rooms on different non smoking floors (seemingly fine for them that we would have two young children in one!). If that didn't suit then bad luck. My observation that this was not a very good first impression of the hotel was met with a shrug of the shoulders. In a normal situation I probably would have walked out, but with tired kids and 10 bags to drag we took the smoking rooms, and were rewarded with vistas of the hotels airconditioning cooling units 30cm from the windows that roared all night long (avoid room 824/825 if I haven't convinced you to stay away - see the pics).
- the concierge indeed seemed to lack any basic information and could not even read a map
- the location is some way off sukhumvit road up couple of alleys without footpaths (but very close to lots of sex tourism if thats your thing!)
- getting taxi's does seem to be difficult, and like an earlier reviewer I was given a line from bell boy/taxi driver about accepting a fixed 400bht rate to the airport vs. using the meter (note that the metered rate during the day was a little over 200bht!!)
- the hotel lobby/restaurant area is soulless and rather small. The passing parade through the lobby appeared to be largely big tour groups stopping over. This gave the feel of a bit of a sausage machine - high turnover of short stay guests who are a number rather than a name - and maybe this is why the customer experience generally left me cold. This also gave me the impression that this will wear the surface gloss of this now new hotel quickly. On this I'd rate it a 3-4 star hotel (definately not 5 star).
- the elevators smelt like football training linament constantly
- finally I requested a late checkout (2pm) as we had an afternoon flight. Here I thought is a chance for the front desk staff to turn an earlier bad customer experience right by giving me a break...but no of course it wasn't possible; a big tour group was due....my number was obviously up. And I can ensure you that it will never return to the Grand Sukhumvit by Sofitel again. You have so many other better choices in this area; we stayed last year at the Westin in the same area....same price bracket and a much better hotel all round. Marriott also good.

My partner and I stayed at this hotel in July 2007. It's a true gem.From the first moment we walked in,until the moment we left was a truly remarkable experience.

The hotel is only 5-10 minutes walk from the Nana BTS Skytrian station.If you would like to give Nana Entertainment a skip,you can always enter the hotel from the other side of the "soi".

We booked a Silver room,but we were upgraded to a Platinum Suite.We didn't pay $1 extra.Truly wonderful!

The breakfast was scrumptious and the service at this hotel is impeccable! We totally fell in love with the bathroom,the beds and the pillows!! We didn't want to leave!!!

We will definitely stay at the Grand Sukhumvit by Sofitel again!! Can't wait to go back!!

First, this hotel is in teh center of Bangkok. I do not know why it is listed as being in Klong Toey!! This hotel is a solid contemporary 5 star hotel complete with flat screen televisions and computer controlled climate and lighting. It was very reminiscent of a W Hotel, sheik, contemporary, and elegant. If Madonna was a hotel, she would be this one.
The restaurant is great as wad the pool. Service from everyone was also flawless. I also left luggage at the hotel twice for a week each time when I traveled to other counties and they returned it both times so thy were reliable in this respect. The hotel is also guest friendly so that you can being new fiend to your room and they do not charge extra.
The hotel is located on a great area but in an awkward place. It is 150 meters behind the Landmark hotel and off Sukuvit Road. It is a three minute walk to the BTS and sumvkut Road. The only downside to the hotel is that to get to the hotel you have to go down one of two side alleys which have car and motorcycle traffic moving down them so fast you have to hug the sides to avoid them. But I would not let this dissuade you from the hotel. I have been to Bangkok about 10 times and always stay in nice hotels. I am going to make this my number one choice hotel for Bangkok in the future.

Located on a quiet side street about one block from the Nana BTS station. Great beds and bathrooms. We found each member of the staff to be extremely friendly and willing to help. We did not make use of the concierge, but rather made use of many of the local restaurants and travel offices.

The pool is great after a morning of sightseeing and was always fairly empty during our stay. It is, however, situated in a valley between the two towers of the Sofitel and an adjacent hotel/apartment tower. This means that the pool receives very little sunlight and can become quite cold after 2 PM or so.

A guide to the hotel and its services in the rooms would be a great addition. We found some wear in one room that could quite easily be rectified.

We would definitely stay at the Sofitel Grand Sukhumvit again