I had a short overnight in Bangkok before continuing to other parts of Thailand. Ideally I should have booked something closer to the Airport, but I had read some great reviews about Courtyard so ended up booking it for 1 night.

Location

Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok is located in Soi Mahadlekluang 1, on Ratchadamri Road in the centre of Bangkok. It is about 30 km from Suvarnabhumi Airport and a slightly shorter 28 km’s from Don Mueang Airport (fondly known as DMK).

Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok boasts a great central location

A taxi ride to the hotel from either of these airports take 45 mins – 1 hour depending on the traffic. I paid 500 THB for my ride to the hotel. The return trip was cheaper at 400 THB since the hotel concierge arranged the transportation. Either way, you should ensure you carry sufficient cash as cards are not accepted.

Booking

Bangkok is easily amongst the most affordable hotel markets in the world, so you might find that paying cash is the way to go. If for some reason you are looking to redeem points, a night in the standard room will set you back between 15,000 -20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Cash prices at the time of my stay were about $125 per night, so I just paid cash. As Thailand welcomes more tourists from across the world, particularly when Main-land Chinese tourists start travelling, expect these prices to trend higher.

Arrival & Check-In

After a very long flight from Melbourne (in Coach), my taxi pulled inside the hotel courtyard at about 6:30 pm. As is usually the case in Asia, the bellhop rushed in to open the door and take care of my bags. The bags would later be safely delivered to my room.

I stepped inside what was a good-looking, spacious and brightly-lit lobby with high ceiling. To the right, there was a small sitting area. Then you had a couple of very attractive pieces of art-work followed by some more sitting space.

Lobby, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Lobby, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Lobby, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Lobby, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

The reception was located at the end of the lobby. It had 3 check-in desks, and with just 1 other person checking-in at the time, I was promptly attended to by one of the front desk staff.

Reception, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

A notice was prominently displayed on one of the desks, it showed that the hotel was expecting 21 Elite Guests to check-in on the day.

Elite Arrivals, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

To be honest, I quite appreciate the hotel being so forthcoming about these things. With Marriott handing out elite status like cheap confetti during pandemic years, the ranks of elite have swelled to a point where its impossible for any property to manage expectations.

By being honest and upfront about how many elites the property was hosting, it is hoped that at least some of the disappointment could be alleviated.

The staff checking-in welcomed and thanked me for a being a Marriott loyalist. She advised that I had been upgraded to one of their Executive Suite on top-floor of the hotel. With little over 12 hours of hotel time, this seemed like a bit of a waste, but who am I to argue with upgrade gods 😉

In pre-covid times, the hotel operated an Executive Lounge. This sadly ended up being one of the many pandemic casualties. However, to make-up the staff offered me a couple of drink vouchers that I could redeem at the property’s in-house restaurant, momo cafe.

Drink Vouchers, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Drinks Menu, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

As you can see above, you couldn’t just order anything you wanted. There was a specially crafted Marriott Bonvoy menu (ie, limited menu) that you had to order off. Even so, I thought it had a reasonable number of options. Later in the evening, I enjoyed a Rose Spritzer and a bottle of Chang beer which were both pretty good.

Anyhow, I finished check-in and proceeded to my room located on Level 15.

Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok Executive Suite

When Thailand closed its international borders during Covid-19, the property took the opportunity and carried out a refresh of many of its guest rooms including suites. The change was noticeable.

As you enter, there is powder room to the left.

Powder Room, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Straight down, there was a small dining table with 3 chairs. A welcome letter and some in-room amenity were waiting on the table.

Entryway, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Dining Table, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Welcome Letter and In-room amenity, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Opposite to the dining table, there was a wall buffet cabinet. On the counter, you had some complimentary bottled water, an electric kettle, coffee machine and provisions for making tea and coffee.

Wall Buffet Cabinet, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Wall Buffet Cabinet, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Underneath, there were 2 cabinet doors with a mini-bar set up. The drawers were stocked with sweet and savoury bites whereas the fridge contained a variety of drinks and a couple of chocolate bars.

In room mini-bar, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

In room mini-bar, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

In room mini-bar, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

From this point, the suite opens up. The long, narrow-ish shape creates an illusion of space.

Executive Suite, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

As you step further-in, there is a formal sitting area to the left. The large 3-seater sofa and 2 chairs are upholstered in neutral colours, meanwhile the bright-green cushions bring much needed colour to what is otherwise quite a drab set-up.

Formal Seating, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Formal Seating, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Formal Seating, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

There is a small entertainment unit with a television and surround-sound speakers to complete the set-up.

Entertainment Unit, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Then on the other side, there was a home-style study. In recent times, a lot of hotels are getting rid off these stand-alone work spaces and replacing them with a wall-fixed long table and chair, so it was nice to see that the property has retained it.

Work Space, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Moving further-in, there was a full sized bathroom on the left. The centrally placed vanity had a single sink, with some neatly folded towels and a box with couple of dental kits and a small bottle of mouth-wash.

Bathroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Bathroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

The shower and bath were positioned on either side of the vanity. While it was nice seeing a bath, it was on the smaller side. The shower too didn’t seem very roomy, which is a little unusual for a suite.

Bathroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Bathroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Bath products from Nirva E were supplied inside disposable pump bottles fitted to the wall. The shower also had a bench, which was my favourite thing about it.

Bathroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Bathroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Bathroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Back out, there was a luggage rack and a wardrobe. The wardrobe had an electronic safe, a bath robe, hangars, an umberella and a pair of in-room slippers.

Luggage Rack, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Wardrobe, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

The bedroom was positioned at the end of the suite. There was a King-size bed by the wall, pillows of all sizes and 2 bedside tables on either end.

Bedroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

King Bed, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Just above the bedsides and within each reach from the bed, you had the switch board fitted with a USB port and a universal outlet which was great to see.

Outlet, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

In the other direction from the bed, there was a work space similar to the one outside. Adjacent to this, you had another entertainment unit with a flat screen TV.

Bedroom, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

To the right of the bed, there were 2 mini loungers and a small table.

Loungers, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Loungers, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Overall, I was very happy with the suite. Being newly renovated, everything inside looked and felt fresh.

Dining

The hotel has just 1 in-house restaurant called momo cafe. Located on the Ground floor near the lifts, it is open for breakfast lunch and dinner. I was quite tired after the long day and not in the mood to venture out, so I ended up having dinner at the restaurant.

momo cafe, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

momo cafe, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

momo cafe, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

I returned for breakfast in the morning and had one of the better dining experiences. The hotel does a great job putting out an enormous spread of local Thai as well as Western food. From your standard English breakfast to Indian, Japanese & Thai, no detail was spared.

I will let the pictures do the talking for this part.

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

There were carts positioned on one of the corners with the Asian fare, then you had the live noodle station where a staff was seen hurriedly dunking chunks of noodles into hot, boiling water before serving it to throngs of hungry diners.

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

There was a variety of hot & Cold beverages with the tropical fruit juices proving to be particularly popular.

Breakfast, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

All this while, the staff running breakfast service were kept on their toes. As soon as a table became available, plates were cleared, table wiped and readied to host the next batch of diners. It was fantastic to see employees so invested in their jobs and giving it their best.

To sum up, I came away a happy camper.

Other Amenities

The hotel has a fully equipped fitness centre open daily from 6:00 am – 10:00 pm. There is an outdoor pool and a whirlpool accessible to all hotel guests. The hotel also offers complimentary tuk tuk shuttle service to a nearby shopping centre and train station.

Tuk Tuk, Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok

Unfortunately, due to the very short nature of my stay I did not get a chance to partake in any of these activities.

In Conclusion

Courtyard by Marriott is a fantastic property located in the heart of Bangkok. The Courtyard brand is sometimes stigmatised as being cheap, run down and lacking service.

While there is definitely some truth in that, specially considering the state of the brand in North America, it’s a totally different story in Asia where many Courtyards easily outshine the full service properties in United States and Canada.

I had a short but very pleasant stay and will not hesitate in returning to the property at some point in future.

Have you stayed at Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok? Leave a comment below.