In Bangkok I stayed at Rembrandt Tower Serviced Apartments. A former colleague of mine had recommended the place and I was really excited to see, how it was. Unfortunately, the first impression was rather disappointing since the front line staff chose to give me an apartment just below a floor where some serious and very noisy renovation was taking place.
I don’t know what they were thinking. I mean, they could see that I came directly from the airport, jetlagged, after a long flight. How could they possibly think that a room with construction noise, drilling and hammering was what I needed??
First I called the reception to complain, but the noise was so loud that they couldn’t hear what I was saying. I therefore went down to reception to complain and got the rather strange answer that they thought it was ok, since the noise was only during daytime (!). I was then offered a larger apartment as compensation, which did not make much sense since 1) I was traveling alone and 2) Most of the time I was working, so I didn’t need anything else than a desk and a bed.
After much haggling back and forth I finally got a new apartment and a refund for the first night. I also got a fruit bowl with a lot of funny fruits, including some small ugly ones, with a texture like a fisheye (they turned out to be really delicious).
The apartment was nice with a huge, comfortable bed. It also had a fridge and an ironing board as well as other amenities. The neighborhood is one of the least sleazy ones along that part of Sukhumvit Road, with plenty of good restaurants and a Skytrain station within walking distance. I therefore wouldn’t hesitate to book an apartment on Rembrandt Tower in the future, but I’ll remember to be extra careful to emphasize that I prefer an apartment without construction noise.