| Empress hotel one of the best options |
Guest Rating: 9.7 |
eddy D.
|
 Netherlands
Couple
Date of Stay: 02 Aug 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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10/10 |
| Location: |
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8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
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10/10 |
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| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
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Location is good: a quit surrounding, distance to the old inner city is a bit too far for walking, but with tuktuk or taxi for a few baht to reach within maximum 5 minutes. Rooms are clean, air-co is very good. Breakfast: buffet offers many choices, always perfect. The personal attention bij the employers and even the trainees is supper. No disadvantages or it would be may be that the old town is too far to reach by walking. The lobby surrounding gives a typical Thai feeling; the statues in- and outside, the attitude of the personnel. The rooms are great; a lot of space and very clean and cool by the perfect working air-co.The breakfast as well as the diner is of good quality. The buffet breakfast gives a lot of choices in warm as well as cold food. The sphere around the swimming pool could be more ' tropical' if more plants were near the pool.
Travel tip : Hire a motorcycle for 200-250 baht a day to be independent in moving around.
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| The Empress Hotel Chiang Mai |
Guest Rating: 8 |
robert S.
|
 United States
Couple
Date of Stay: 02 Aug 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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10/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
6/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
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Good value for the price, good location, excellent breakfast buffet, good swimming pool Unfriendly and unhelpful doormen, the lobby has a most unpleasant smell and air conditioning system, the chairs in the lobby are the most uncomfortable chairs I have ever seen The Empress Hotel is good value for the price. Its location is good, the swimming pool is good, and the breakfast buffet is excellent. The doormen could be more attentive to their duties (instead of chatting with one another) by opening the door when you are trying to get in the door with one's luggage or shopping bags. They could also greet people; after all, they probably have the easiest job of anyone in the whole hotel. Perhaps they should have to clean the rooms or work in the kitchen for a week and then they would have a better attitude towards their own job as doormen. The hotel should try to do something about all of the tuk-tuk drivers waiting in the alley near the hotel as they are mildly annonying in their attempt to rip-off hotel guests with their exorbitant fares. It's better to simply walk past them and get a red pickup truck from the street. The hotel should try to improve the lobby with a better air conditioning system and more comfortable chairs as some of us like to chat with others there or need to wait in the lobby for a van to pick us up.
Shopping Tip : The Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai is fascinating. There are two excellent restaurants just down the street from the Empress--an Italian restaurant near Pantip Plaza and a superb restaurant/bakery called "Bake-n-Bit" on Changklan Road on one's way from the hotel to Pantip Plaza and the Night Bazaar.
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| Excellence at the Empress |
Guest Rating: 10 |
jeffrey H.
|
 United Kingdom
Family with young children
Date of Stay: 27 Jul 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
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Courteous, well trained staff throughout; well equipped rooms where everything worked, excellent breakfast, good location and close to the nighte market. Only one weakness was lack of a paddling pool for small children...but the main pool is excellent. I've said it all above. We liked our room and fridge, mini bar and tea & coffee making facilities. Wireless internet was fast in our room. All the staff we met were courteous, efficient and helpful. Front desk staff were excellent. Good parking facilities. We would recommend the Empress as both an excellent hotel and good value.
Restaurant Tip : We enjoyed the best pizza in Chiang Mai at 'Il Forno', Prapokklao Road...but parking can be difficult nearby, so take a taxi or a tuk-tuk.
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| Best deal in Chiang Mai |
Guest Rating: 9.7 |
jimmy M.
|
United States
Business Traveler
Date of Stay: 21 Jul 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
|
Nice room. Great breakfast. Awesome pool and adequate exercise facility. When they mess up they do not like to admit it. However by talking to the manager, things get resolved. I truly enjoyed my time at the Empress. The room was very clean and the turndown service was an added touch of class. The gym was great for a quick workout and the pool was fantastic. Not only was it clean, the water did not hurt my eyes in the least. However, I must say that what I enjoyed the most about the Empress was the breakfast. Not only was it fresh, but the selection was fantastic. I even asked for my eggs over medium and had them cooked to perfection (for frequent Asia travelers, you know what a miracle that is). Another nicety was with the customer service. We added a couple of nights and they allowed it at the Agoda discounted Internet fare. Overall, I was extremely pleased with the Empress and will continue to stay there when I visit Chiang Mai.
Hotel Feature Tip : The Internet usage fee seems a bit steep but please note that it is on an "as used" rate. I bought 12 hours thinking that I was buying 12 hours from first login. It turns out that when you log off it stops counting your time. In 3 days I used 3 hours of my time. Buy the lesser time and add more as you need it.
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| Excellent Soothing Hotel |
Guest Rating: 10 |
mayu U.
|
 Japan
Family with older children
Date of Stay: 15 Jul 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
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Clean room, nice interior design, close to night bazzar, pleasant front staff. Amenities of the room was sufficient, bath tub and toilet seem to be really cleaned. Interior designs are classic and soothing color choice. The hotel is located in the walking distance from night bazzar. Breakfast was delicious. Front staff are friednly and spacious lobby was comfortable. Turn down service was nice with rose. We have stayed Empress 10 years ago, and the hotel's maintenance seems excellent.
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| Empress Hotel is good |
Guest Rating: 8.3 |
lang C.
|
 Cambodia
Business Traveler
Date of Stay: 07 Jul 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
good location, clean, good services
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| Great Stay |
Guest Rating: 10 |
james B.
|
United States
Couple
Date of Stay: 12 Jun 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
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Staff is friendly and helpful, location is good, rooms are beautiful, the breakfast is great
We have stayed at the Empress 4 times now and have enjoyed it every time. The staff is so friendly and very helpful. The breakfast is very god with lots of variety and selection. The rooms are beautifully decorated and the beds have been fairly comfortable even by American standards. The location is close to restaurants and the night bizarre which is a must see for tourists. The Empress is a great price when using Agoda and a great value with the breakfast.
Pleased customers
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : The Night Bizarre is a must see for tourists. It is full of inexpensive finds that make good gifts or great memories.
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| The Empress hotel from a business perspective |
Guest Rating: 6.3 |
dominicus V.
|
Netherlands
Business Traveler
Date of Stay: 05 Jun 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
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2/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
6/10 |
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Value fro money
Size of room Lobby staff very very unfriendly
Fitness center very old and dirty
Internet; 500 baht a day, this is a shame !!! Stayed for 2 night on a business trip.
Hotel is old but in a reasonable shape and on walking distance to the center.Breakfast is ok and what you expect in such a hotel. The big unpleasant surprise is the internet charge of 500 baht per day, just around the corner you'll pay just 10 baht....a hour
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| Great Hotel |
Guest Rating: 9.3 |
stanley H.
|
United States
Couple
Date of Stay: 12 May 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
|
location, and good breakfast with nice rooms Location not far from the night bazzaar. Also there's a great massage place right outside the hotel. Breakfast have great selections especially the waffles. The swimming pool was a good size and great for kids since the water is not too deep..
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : On sundays there's a Chiang Mai walking street market just like the night bazzaar which not only for shopping but has food items also..
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| High Praises |
Guest Rating: 10 |
james B.
|
United States
Couple
Date of Stay: 11 May 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
|
The hotel is beautiful and the rooms are very clean. The staff is very helpful and some speak English, so that is helpful. This was our second time there and we were just as happy this time as before. The breakfast is really good. The night time menu is very extensive and good food as well. It is within walking distance of the night bizarre and a few restaurants in that area. We arrived in the evening to find that our reservation made on-line the same day had not been processed yet and the manager there was patient and helped us through the process of contacting the necessary party. While we were waiting to be helped the staff brought us a fruit drink that was delicious and refreshing. Our room was upgraded, not sure why, but it was lovely. The room this time and last time were very clean and beautifully decorated. It just felt good to step inside. In many hotels you can hear everything going on in the hall way and the cleaning ladies are yelling to one another. At the Empress we did not experience that at all. It was very quiet and restful. The only reason we are able to stay there is because of the awesome discounted price we get through Agoda. We look forward to many other stays in the future. We live in Thailand and have to travel to Chiang Mai once in a while for business or just to get away and visit friends.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : If you have never been to thailand before you might want to check out a Kantoke dinner. It is an awesome cultural experience.
the night market off of Tapae gate is also a fun shopping experience if you are in town on a Sunday night.
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| good value |
Guest Rating: 8.7 |
will B.
|
United States
Business Traveler
Date of Stay: 28 Apr 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
|
comfortable room at a good price, excellent breakfast struggle to communicate with staff at the price you're being charged, it's unreasonable to expect that the staff would speak fluent English; they don't. But they do their best. The breakfast is varied and not too crowded when I was there.
I believe the Empress attracts tour groups- a negative. If the facilities are aging, they are kept clean. The fitness center is useless unless all you want is to use a treadmill. There are plenty of those. The location is not bad at all. There was a mix up with my reservation, but it was resolved. That's never a good way to be introduced to a hotel. It was really only a minor inconvenience.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : The nightmarket can be reached by walking about ten minutes. There are plenty of internet cafes nearby so it's not necessary to pay rip off rates at the hotel.
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| Chiang Mai Weekend |
Guest Rating: 8.7 |
james B.
|
United States
Couple
Date of Stay: 22 Apr 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
quiet inside room. Great buffet breakfast. Nice lobby for meetings or hanging out. Staff was excellent. 15 minute walk to night bazzar. Really was't disatisfied with anything. Would have liked a full time movie channel for down times. Excellent place to stay for meetings, getaways, or for vacation. The breakfast included makes up for a higher price over budget hotels or guest houses. If you want internet in room must get room on floors 12-17 which a suspect are at a higher price.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Night bazaar is down the street and for a few baht can take red song teew taxi to main market near river. There were many tours that could be arranged at the concierge desk if something more was wanted.
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| Empress Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand |
Guest Rating: 6.7 |
philip H.
|
United States
Couple
Date of Stay: 22 Apr 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
6/10 |
| Location: |
|
6/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
6/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Cost, quietness, breakfast buffet, room size During our stay in Chiang Mai, Thailand in April, the weather was extremely hot, around 100 F which made walking around town almost unbearable. The hotel locates outside of old town so it was quite a walk in the heat. Our room however was spacious although heavily furnished with dark woods, probably could use some upgrades. The hotel has a swimming pool which is helpful for families with children. The breakfast buffet offers great varieties and selections for everyone. And you can't beat the price. The hotel is probably more appropriate for conferences, group meetings, families, or senior travelers. Don't forget to check out the Rainbow Massage Parlor on the right side just outside of the hotel entrance. They did a great job with very reasonable cost.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Several trip organizers/ticketers near the hotel can book trips for you. We took an excursion to the hills and enjoyed elephant ride up and down a steep in spots trail and in a river, visited the tribes and orchid farm, and white river rafting.
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| Chiang Mia's best value for money Hotel ! |
Guest Rating: 8.3 |
simon M.
|
 Australia
Couple
Date of Stay: 11 Apr 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
6/10 |
|
The staff are some of the best trained in Northern Thailand that I have experienced - it was very good value for money as we had star price for 5 star service - they cater for all travelling groups . Food mid range , prompt service , staff make an effort to help Only minor the Pool staff don't seem to want to offer any drinks from the outdoor poolbar , rooms are a bit dated but clean , TV reception wasn't to great Best way to describe The Empress is when all the other hotels were not busy they were ! Friendly & helpful staff , Prompt service , Clean Rooms Excellent value for money . Food was fine but as per most Thai Hotels "western style food" is a bit hit a miss with quailty e.g I ordered a Pepper Steak and it was very average meal to my tastes otherwise I recommend you eat the excellent Thai/Asian food on offer
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Elephant Camp was worth a look - recommend the 1 hr Elephant ride up to the Hilltribe area
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| EMPRESSive HOTEL |
Guest Rating: 9.7 |
geoff R.
|
 New Zealand
Solo Traveler
Date of Stay: 26 Oct 2008 |
| Value for Money: |
|
10/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
|
1 male staff member at breakfast not very approachable but may have been having a bad day.
This is my second stay at this hotel -last was March 2008.I will continue to stay here as there is never a problem. The staff can't do enough for you, the hotel is extremly clean, and the whole establishment is professionaly run and managed.A really enjoyable place to relax and see Northern Thailand from.
Travel tip : Easy walk to night markets and even into "Old City"
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