Sofitel Silom, Bangkok, Thailand

I just got back last night from Lafferty's Cards & Payments Asia-Pacific 2005 Conference & Expo in Bangkok, Thailand.

Stayed at the Sofitel Silom Bangkok (188 Silom Road, Bangrak 10500, Bangkok, Thailand), which is near the conference venue (Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok). The staff at Sofitel Silom is very friendly and the rooms very comfortable. I had a standard room with a king-size bed which is very generous in size. The location of the hotel is also great, being situated on Silom Road and within walking distance of the Chao Praya River and Patpong.

Star City Hotel, Sydney, Australia

We spent our last night in Sydney in the Star City Hotel. This 5-star hotel is located right in Star City Casino, near Darling Harbour. The rooms are quite luxurious and comfortable and had a great view of Darling Harbour.

Avillion Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Was in Sydney for AKKI Annual Meeting two weeks ago and stayed in the 5-star Avillion Hotel (389 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia). This hotel has a great location. It is located right at the doorstep of World Square monorail station, and is within walking distance to most places of attraction, including Chinatown. The rooms are comfortable, spacious, very well appointed and comes with a balcony. The only complain I had was rigidity in service. There was one morning when I forgot to bring down my breakfast voucher, and both the waitress and manager wouldn't even let me have a cup of coffee, when I was clearly a hotel guest, with my hotel keycard!

Apart-Hotel Kronverk, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Stayed at Apart-Hotel Kronverk (9 Blokhin Street, Saint Petersburg, Russia) during this 10-day trip to Saint Petersburg. This hotel is supposedly in the four-star category, but neither look nor operate like one. Kronverk is small and without facilities. The hotel is infested with mosquitoes. Everyone who stays here complains of mosquitoes, so requesting for change of room does not help.

The plus points are that the hotel is located very near Peter and Paul's Fortress and the rooms are equipped with free (but very slow) Internet access.

At USD110 per night, I think it is rather steep for the quality (or lack thereof). I will try to look for alternatives the next time round.

Conrad Bali Resort & Spa, Bali, Indonesia

I'm currently in Bali, Indonesia on a business trip. I was at Conrad Bali Resort & Spa (Jalan Pratama 168, Tanjung Benoa, Bali 80363, Indonesia) where Visa International was holding their quarterly meeting for Indonesia card centers. After dinner, HG and WG offered me a stay in their spa suite, since it was already quite late for me to get back to Seminyak, where I was staying in BZ's villa. So I stayed over and had a chance to experience the very luxuriously appointed rooms at Conrad. This is a rather new hotel in Bali, being about a year old.

The spa suite is quite huge and is somewhere between a superior room and a presidential suite. There's a patio with a jacuzzi overlooking the sea where you can just relax and soak in the sun.

I had a chance to enjoy the presidential suite as well, as AR and his wife invited me up to their presidential suite for an after dinner drink. The presidential suite is huge and has a big living room, a kitchen, private jacuzzi and suana. It can easily take two families.

I would recommend staying at the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa anytime. Coincidentally, this hotel is owned by the family of a friend, SJ.

Hotel Grand Central, Singapore

Called up Hotel Grand Central, Singapore (22 Cavengah Road / Orchard Road, Singapore 229617) to make a reservation for a friend just a few minutes ago. Was told to call back tomorrow? How a hotel can turn down reservation requests till the next day is a puzzle to me. I then spoke to the duty manager who told me that they are not taking reservations because they are running full occupancy. Why are they then wasting customers' time by asking them to call back tomorrow? Should have told customers right away that they are already full! The duty manager was rude.

The hotel is also rather run-down. I'm only considering this hotel because the hotel situation in Singapore is very bad now. Give Hotel Grand Central, Singapore a miss! Twice over!

The Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore

I have recently been trying to make reservations for friends from overseas who had difficulty booking a hotel in Singapore due to CommunicAsia. And boy, does it reveal the ugliness of some hotels in Sinagpore.

Let me begin with the first one here .. The Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore -- A Beaufort Hotel (2 Bukit Manis Road, Sentosa, Singapore 099891).

I called the hotel up on the evening of 8 June 2005 at about 8pm. I asked the availability of the rooms on 15 June. Was told that all their Delux Rooms and Junior Suites were full, but the Executive Suites were available. I wanted to make a reservation but was told that the reservations department was closed and I had to call back tomorrow. Knowing the hotel situation in Singapore is going to get worse, I told the hotel I wanted to make the booking there and then, and provided them with my name. They accepted saying that someone from the reservations department will call me back the day after to confirm.

I received no calls from the hotel the next day. On 10 June 2005, I called the hotel only to hear that they had no record of my reservation, and no record of any instruction to call me back. I was furious and spoke to the General Manager, only to hear from him that his counter staff were supposed to take reservations even when the reservations department was closed. He apologized and said he would investigate into the matter. But I had already lose my reservation and had to hunt a room elsewhere!

Lisa De Inn, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Stayed over at Lisa De Inn while visiting Kuala Lumpur two days ago. This is a small hotel for budget travellers. My room was moist and warm with lots of mosquitoes. The TV is also without remote control. Fortunately, I checked-in late and left early next morning, so wasn't too bothered by the condition of the room. The price is not very cheap: RM119. You can definitely get better value elsewhere.

Faculty Club, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

Stayed at the Faculty Club of Shanghai Jiao Tong University for two nights while attending the 2005 Shanghai Combinatorics Conference. The location is great, being right in downtown Shanghai, in the Xuhui district. I find the rooms better compared to Zhong Ya Hotel (see my review here). But one catch is that you need a faculty member of Shanghai Jiao Tong University to make reservations on your behalf!

Bintan Lagoon Resort, Bintan, Indonesia

Just got back last Sunday on a family holiday to Bintan Island, Indonesia. We stayed at the 5-star Bintan Lagoon Resort (Jalan Indera Segara, Bintan Utara, Lagoi, Riau, Indonesia). The hotel is largely open-air, and I was surprised that it was actually quite cool even under the hot climate. I had a delux sea-view room. The room was very nicely appointed. My parents had a superior room which is not as well equipped and furnished. The superior room did not come with toothbrushes, shaving kits, slippers, and sleeping mat, all of which were found in the delux room.

The staff service is friendly throughout.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia

Stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Jalan Gatot Subroto Kav. 2-3, Jakarta 12930, Indonesia) in Jakarta, Indonesia two days ago. This is a 5-star hotel located near most financial institutions in Jakarta. I had a bedroom with a king-size bed, which is comfortable and nicely appointed. The bathroom is also big. Breakfast at the Beranda Cafe is also very nice and quiet. I like it!

Room rate of Rp750,000 per night includes breakfast.

Tianhong Plaza Hotel (天鸿科园大酒店), Beijing, China

Stayed at Tianhong Plaza Hotel (天鸿科园大酒店) (25 Zhi Chun Road, Hai Dian District, Beijing, China) on my visit to Beijing (北京), China. KY booked me into this hotel as it is near Tsinghua University (清华大学), where I was visiting.

Tianhong Plaza Hotel is a 4-star hotel managed by Radisson Hotels and Resorts, and is located in the "Silicon Valley" of Beijing. It is close to the top two universities in China, namely Tsinghua University and Peking University (北京大学). Amenities around the hotel is good, with restaurants and supermarkets close by.

The rooms are clean and well-appointed, comparable to those you find in a 4-star hotel in western cities. But the heater doesn't seem to work too well. The best feature I find is that the rooms come with free broadband Internet access, and is in fact where I'm blogging from right now.

Service is friendly, although it can be slow at times.

Overall, I would stay in this hotel again if I'm visiting Tsinghua University in the future.

Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia

Stayed at Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta on my trip to Jakarta, Indonesia earlier in the week. This is a 5-star hotel managed by Hyatt International. The hotel is located near the National Monument and minutes from the business districts of Jalan Thamrin and Jalan Sudirman. But in Jakarta, you always have to be careful since "minutes away" can become "hours away" without notice and without reason.

I stayed on the Regency Club floor which has rather nicely appointed rooms, although I find the bathroom a little cramped. Otherwise, everything was to expectation.

Complimentary breakfast was at JP Bistro which has the usual American breakfast spread.

Zhong Ya Hotel 中亚饭店, Shanghai, China

Stayed at Zhong Ya Hotel 中亚饭店 (330 Meiyuan Road, Shanghai, China) last month when visiting Shanghai. This hotel is located within walking distance of Shanghai Station and had excellent amenities in the neighborhood, including department stores and restaurants.

The room is reasonably appointed. I was told there is free broadband Internet access in the hotel, but I couldn't find an access point in my room. Otherwise, the stay is rather pleasant.

The Elizabeth, Singapore

Stayed at The Elizabeth (24 Mount Elizabeth, Singapore 228518) last week. This is a boutique hotel located in a quiet neighborhood just off the bustling Orchard Road. This hotel has been the favourite of one of my Indonesian friends. I had a Deluxe room with a queen size bed, but the room is not big. So I think their superior rooms must have been rather small. The room is cosy but lacking in amenities. Toothbrushes are not provided, unless upon request and shampoo and shower gel come from an all-in-one dispenser, which seems very cheap.

Breakfast buffet is typicall American fair, with bacon (very salty), eggs (sunny side up or scrambled), hash browns, baked beans, cereal, fruits, bread and pastries.

Scholars Inn 书香门第酒店, Suzhou, China

Stayed at Scholars Inn 书香门第酒店 (Xin Shi Road, Suzhou, China) for one night on my trip to Suzhou last month. This is a 3-star hotel designed in a traditional Chinese style. It is located directly opposite the grand-looking Sheraton Suzhou. Being an academic in heart, I especially like the welcoming prose hanging on the two sides of the main door: 万般皆下品, 唯有读书高, which roughly translates to "All things are inferior to studying and learning."

One thing about Chinese hotel rooms is that they always smell of smoke, since there is seldom rooms that are designated non-smoking, and even if there were, I wonder if most Chinese would adhere to the rules. So the room we got was no exception, and we had to request to change to one that at least do not smell as strong.

The bathroom has see-through glass walls. So if you are sharing the room with somebody, you might want to take note of this.

I like this hotel for its cosiness.

Price per night: 300RMB (excluding breakfast).

ABC Hotel, Chur, Switzerland

Stayed at the ABC Hotel (Bahnhofplatz/Ottostrasse 8, Chur CH-7000, Graubunden, Switzerland) while in Chur. This is the only 4-star hotel in Chur, the city with the longest history of settlement in Switzerland. The hotel is situated across the Chur train station. This is a very nice hotel. The rooms are very comfortable and the bathrooms come with a bath tub. Quality of breakfast is also good.

Hotel Beau-Rivage, Zermatt, Switzerland

Stayed at Hotel Beau-Rivage (Kirchstrasse 44, CH-3920, Zermatt, Switzerland) while in Zermatt. This is a 4-star hotel within a 10-minute walk of the Zermatt train station. They have two category of rooms: Valley View and Matterhorn View. There's a CHF20 difference between the two categories. I had opted for a Valley View room but was given one with a view of the Matterhorn, at the same price. It was magnificent -- both the room and the Matterhorn! We had a room on the top floor of the hotel, which came with a sun roof and balcony. There's also electric heating element that keeps your bath towels nice and warm. This hotel is apparently owned by Olympic champion Max Julen who won the giant slalom event in Sarajevo at the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Hotel Bernina, Genf (Geneve, Geneva), Switzerland

Stayed at Hotel Bernina (22 Place Cornavin, CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland) in Geneva. This is a 3-star Swiss Quality hotel situated right across the Geneva train station. The building is old but the room spacious, especially the bathroom! There's a pub below the hotel, so it can get rowdy late into the night. Simple hotel for travellers who are not too fussy.

Hotel Chalet Swiss, Interlaken West, Switzerland

Stayed at Hotel Chalet Swiss (Seestrasse 22, CH-3800, Interlaken, Switzerland) while in Interlaken. The hotel is a traditional Swiss chalet. The room is quite spacious and romantically appointed, with wooden walls, lacy curtains and pink tone bedsheets and comforters. The hotel is about a 7-minute walk from Interlaken West train station and has magnificent views of the alps!

Hotel Kreuz, Bern (Berne), Switzerland

Stayed at Hotel Kreuz (Zeughausgasse 39/41, CH-3000, Bern 7, Switzerland) while in Bern. This 3-star Swiss Quality hotel is situated right in old town within walking distance of the famous clock tower. The hotel has rather nice sleek contemporary furnishings, with white as the main theme. Not a bad hotel but I had the worst service at a Swiss hotel breakfast here. There were only one waitress serving the entire restaurant, and she had no concept of first-come-first-serve. Serving order seemed random.

Hotel Baslertor, Luzern (Lucerne), Switzerland

Stayed at Hotel Baslertor (Pfistergasse 17, CH-6003, Luzern, Switzerland) while in Luzern. This is a 3-star hotel situated on the "other side" (the side of the train station) of the river. The location is quite good, being near the "second" covered bridge, and is within a short walk of the old town. However, the room is disappointing. It is small, and not well thought out in amenities. For example, there are no hooks for clothes in the bathroom. This hotel also charges extra for breakfast. I wouldn't recommend this hotel to travellers looking for more comfort.

Hotel Wellenberg, Zurich, Switzerland

Stayed at Hotel Wellenberg (Niederdorfstrasse 10, CH-8001 Zurich) for several nights. This is my top choice hotel while in Zurich. The hotel is 4-star rated and is situated in the heart of Old Town Zurich. Moreover, Zurich Hauptbanhof is only within an 8-minute walk. The rooms are nicely appointed and spacious by European standard. Every room is equipped with a bath tub. In the superior rooms, you get even a TV in the bath room!

Trans Asia Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Stayed at the Trans Asia Hotel (15, Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka) on my one-week trip to Colombo. This is a five-star hotel in the business district of Colombo. It is located directly opposite the Sri Lankan Air Force HQ. The hotel rooms are nicely appointed and the hotel is well landscaped with lush greens. Hotel staff are friendly and helpful. The Indian Ocean is within walking distance of the hotel (about a brisk 10-15 minute walk).

Chaophya Park Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Chaophya Park Hotel (247 Rachadapisek Road, Huay Kwang, Bangkok 10320, Thailand) is a nice four-star hotel that is comparable to a five-star hotel in terms of room appointments and amenities. However, it is also priced closer to the five-star category than the four-star category of hotels. It's location is also not that great, being quite far from the central business district and shopping districts. They have quite a good spa (Bali Spa) and a descent Japanese restaurant (Mori Grill), but avoid Chao Suki Restaurant serving kao tom (Teochew porridge) buffet though.

D' Ma Pavilion Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Stayed with my family at D' Ma Pavilion Hotel (Nakorn Luang Plaza, 1091/388 Soi Jarurat New Petchburi Road, Rajthavee, Bangkok, Thailand) last holiday in Bangkok. This is a nice and comfortable four-star hotel. D' Ma Pavillion is more luxuriously appointed compared to Asia Hotel, but it is a little further from the shopping districts. Nonetheless, it is still within walking distance (by my standard) to the Prathunam area and World Trade Centre.

Asia Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Stayed at Asia Hotel (296 Phayathai Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand) on one of my trips to Bangkok. This is a tourist class hotel with very good access to the shopping districts of Ma Boon Krong, Siam Square, World Trade Centre, and Prathunam. Moreover, the Skytrain is right at the footsteps of the hotel. Rooms are simply appointed but comfortable.

The hotel lounge serves good and inexpensive apple strudel.

Imperial Aryaduta Hotel & Country Club, Lippo Karawaci, Indonesia

I stayed at the Imperial Aryaduta Hotel & Country Club (401 Bl. Jend. Sudirman, Lippo Karawaci 1300, Tangerang 15811, Jawa Barat, Indonesia) on one of my business trips to Jakarta last year. This is the only hotel in Lippo Karawaci and is in an excellent location, being right opposite the Karawaci SuperMall. So amenities are just a short walk away. The hotel is nice and comfortable and has a resort feel to it. Hotel guests can access facilities at the adjoining Aryaduta Country Club, which has a very nice pool. I spent a couple of weekends there with HS and his family, playing badminton and swimming.

Hotel Arcadia, Jakarta, Indonesia

I have been staying in Hotel Arcadia (114 Jalan K H Wahid Hasyim, Jakarta 10340) on my recent trips to Jakarta. Reason being that its location is convenient for me. This is a no-frills hotel and don't expect fanciful facilities.

Hotel Ibis Tamarin, Jakarta, Indonesia

I stayed at Hotel Ibis Tamarin (77 Jalan KH Wahid Hasyim, Jakarta 10340) for a night in my last trip to Jakarta. The location is quite good, being near Jalan Thamrin. The rooms are reasonable although small. I was quite happy with the hotel until I was looking for a pen and found that there was no pen in the room. As I was on my way out, I approached the front desk for a pen who responded that I have to call housekeeping. At that point, I gave up.

Hotel Nikko, Jakarta, Indonesia

I stayed at Hotel Nikko, Jakarta, on two of my trips to Jakarta in August, but had forgotten to add a review till now.

Hotel Nikko, Jakarta, was previously President Hotel, and was taken over by the JAL Group and renamed Hotel Nikko. The hotel was refurbished and a new wing, called Nikko Tower, was built.

I stayed in the old building on one of my trips. The rooms there are very small. On my return trip, the air conditioner in the old building broke down and I was put up in the new Nikko Tower. The rooms in Nikko Tower are huge, at least twice the size of those in the old building, and very nice.

Hotel Nikko is situated in the expensive location of Jalan MH Thamrin, being directly opposite Plaza Indonesia.

Crown Regency Service Apartment, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Stayed at the Crown Regency Service Apartment this trip to Kuala Lumpur. The location is very prime, being in close proximity to KLCC. The rooms are quite big and are equipped with kitchens.

Dorsett Regency Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Stayed at Dorsett Regency Hotel this trip to Kuala Lumpur. This hotel is located along Jalan Imbi, in the Bukit Bintang area, and just next to the Ritz-Carlton. The location of the hotel is not bad and the rooms of reasonable size. The complains I have are of the housekeeping service -- which never make any effort to replenish depleted supplies, the front desk -- which has only one staff on service at any one time, so the wait can be very frustrating, the concierge and bell boys -- which were very inattentive, and the television, which has limited number of channels.

Holiday Inn Seoul, Seoul, Korea

Stayed at Holiday Inn Seoul in Mapo-gu, north of the river. This hotel is pricey, but which hotel in Korea isn't? The rooms are small, but the service is friendly, and there's free internet terminals in a room at the lobby. However, chances of me returning to stay in this hotel the next time I'm in Seoul is quite slim.

Redtop Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia

I stayed at the Redtop Hotel, Jakarta. This is a business class hotel with good value. You can get a clean good size room equipped with a work desk for about US$40 per night, including complimentary breakfast. Location of the hotel is quite good, close to the National Monument.

Capitol Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Stayed at the Capitol Hotel (Jalan Bulan, Off Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 55100). This is a tourist class hotel. Location of the hotel is good, being in the midst of the Bukit Bintang shopping district. There are plenty of cafes, restaurants, convenience stores, and departmental stores that are within a stone's throw.

The hotel is a different matter altogether. I was checked into a room on a smoking floor just opposite the elevator opening. The reception did not bother to ask me for smoking/nonsmoking preference. When I entered the wash room, I noticed that the toilet seat was not cleaned properly. This was just too much for me and I demanded a change of room to one that's on a nonsmoking floor and away from the elevator. I got my room, but the TV guides were missing! What screwed-up house keeping! The furnitures were also old and worn out. The only things I like about the room is the huge shower room (there's no bath) and the view (mine was looking out at the Petronas Twin Towers). There's also no facilities in the hotel. There're no gym or swimming pool. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this hotel unless you're on a budget.

Hotel Monaco, Seattle, Washington

Stayed at Hotel Monaco (1101 4th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98101) while I was visiting Seattle December last year. This is a luxurious boutique hotel located within walking distance of Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, and City Center.

The rooms are not big but cosy, and decorated in bold colours. There is a CD player and free Internet access. The Aveda toiletries they provide are a treat!

Staff is friendly and helpful. We arrived on Christmas Eve to find the city pretty well closed and had a hard time finding a place for dinner. The concierge helped us called up every restaurant that is still opened to get us a reservation.

There is also free wine receptions every evening, featuring one red and one white Washington state wine. You can ask for a goldfish as a pet during your stay. We did but unfortunately ours died on the day we checked out.