Tai-Pan Hotel

The Tai-Pan is an upper-middle-range hotel housed on a small alley off a side street, which keeps it fairly quiet. Guests pass by a small outdoor terrace area attached to the hotel's ground-floor restaurant and into the lobby, a dark space with black marble floors and a light-wood reception desk. The restaurant is a popular lunch spot for locals working in the area so can get busy on weekdays, but otherwise guests -- a mix of Asian and European business travelers and tourists  -- don't linger much here.

Tai-Pan is located on Soi 23 in on a narrow side street, a five-minute walk from the Asok BTS skytrain station. The area is a bit of a red light district, with happy-ending massage parlors in the back streets around here, but it's still perfectly safe. There are also lots of good restaurants, shopping malls, and hotels in the area. It's easy to get to nearby tourist attractions: Jim Thompson House is about a half-hour away by skytrain (with a bit of walking at the end), and Royal Palace is around a 30-minute drive from the hotel. The iconic Wat Arun is a 35-minute taxi ride (though it can sometimes be faster to motorbike taxi). Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang Airport are each around 45 minutes to an hour away from the hotel.

Tai-Pan offers four categories of room, ranging from entry-level Superior Rooms to a presidential Tai-Pan Suite. Superior and Deluxe Rooms both measure 38 square meters (409 square feet) and make up the bulk of rooms. The main differences between these two categories is that Superior Rooms are on lower floors (levels six through 11), while Deluxe Rooms add sofas, bathrooms, and slippers and are situated on floors 12 through 17. Superior units are available with either two twin beds or a king-size bed whereas Deluxe Rooms only have king beds. Dated furnishings are well maintained and consist of light wood parquet floors, armchairs and sofas in shades of orange, salmon, and taupe paired with dark-wood tables and desks. White bed sheets are spruced up with orange bed runners and large-print floral bed skirts. Suites are double the size of rooms, consisting of two rooms that were merged into one, with separate living rooms and sleeping areas, each with its own entrance into the hallways. All of these units connect to Deluxe Rooms for guests who need a larger space but don't want to splurge on the huge (114-square-meter/1227-square-foot) Tai-Pan Suite, with its eight-person dining room and jetted bathtub. Amenities are more or less the same across categories, with free Wi-Fi, wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, minibars, kettles for making tea and coffee, and small electric safes. Suites add microwaves. Bathrooms are simple, with granite counters and either walk-in showers or shower/tub combos. Basic toiletries are provided. Most rooms overlook the surrounding streets and include some tall buildings. 

This hotel has a pretty good selection of amenities, including a smallish outdoor pool on a fifth floor deck, plus a smallish adjacent brick patio for sunbathing. There's also a roomy fitness center with a sauna, dated cardio equipment, and free weights, but it closes early on the weekends. There is a spa here, though it's tiny and only offers basic oil and Thai massages. While many of the people who stay here are tourists, Tai-Pan is not a bad option for business travelers on a budget or locals looking to hold meetings. There's a medium-sized conference hall that seats 140 theater-style and can be split down the middle to make two smaller rooms. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. There's lots of free parking, with spaces for up to 80 cars.Meals are served at Pan Kitchen, which offers Thai and Japanese food plus a few European options at lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served buffet-style, with a huge hot-and-cold selection, but it's not included in all room rates. Room service is available around the clock. There are regular nightly entertainment options, like live music, at the adjacent bar.