Lotus Pang Suan Kaew Hotel

[sqwakvfr]

For those who are or have been to CNX know this hotel.  This hotel is directly connected to the now closed Kad Suan Kaew Shopping center.  Out of curiosity I booked a one night stay. The hotel has not aged well. I'm not sure if it even has a star rating anymore. In the past it was the place to be in CNX because guests could just walk across the lobby and eat or shop in KSK.  Those days are long gone and KSK has been closed for over two years.  

 

Getting to the hotel means one has to walk or drive past KSK.  KSK looks like a zombie zone. The exterior of the hotel is not pleasant.  It just looks old and neglected.  But the interior is still clean and most importantly the employees were great.  The girls at the check in counter spoke very good English and check in took about two minutes.  The room was old but everything worked fine.  The swimming pool is large but could do with a renovation.  The breakfast buffet was basic but good.  A superior room was about $40 and the deluxe room about $60.  To me this was not bad considering it is now the start of high season.  I am surprised this hotel is still open.  The common areas of the hotel was not crowded. At night the area surrounding the hotel was pitch dark and very quiet(this was a good thing). 

 

Would I go back? Maybe.  But I had a pleasant stay becasue the people were friendly and tried theri best to ensure a good experience. I have been to some allegedly high end hotesl in CNX and in BKK that are modern but disappointing.  The disappointment was usually a result of the poor performance the employees.  Lotus employees were better than most of the employees I have encountered at other hotels. 

[Old Curmudgeon]

Nice report.

Thank you, @sqwakvfr for posting about your experience.

 

I've never stayed there, but went to eat at the hotel restaurant several times in years past when the mall was still operating normally.

Those meals were nothing special.

 

What stunned me was the audacity in building such a huge complex of hotel + mall.

A massive investment of money and of high hopes.

All gone now.

The hotel will never recover.

The massive structure will be torn down for the value of the used bricks.

A huge investment gone.

Very sad.

 

[clokwise]

I've never stayed there but I have been inside to meet some guests, it truly is quite an impressive interior, I was not prepared to see such a grand sight in Chiang Mai of all places. Some guy recently did a "tour" of the hotel, including the parts you're not supposed to see...

 

 

[Thailand]

Stayed there when it first opened around 2001.

Just about had the place to ourselves. Very good if I remember but  then it was 20 plus years ago.

[Dcheech]

They used to have groups stay at the hotel, likely they gave a reduced, or group rate. School groups used it, flooding KSG for food & fun, that back in the early aughts. They have lost that business now. A couple people still recommend its pool. Although with those facebook posts, your never sure if they currently use it or did once 15 years ago. 

 

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, Dcheech said:

They used to have groups stay at the hotel, likely they gave a reduced, or group rate. School groups used it, flooding KSG for food & fun, that back in the early aughts. They have lost that business now. A couple people still recommend its pool. Although with those facebook posts, your never sure if they currently use it or did once 15 years ago. 

 

The pool is ok and one can use it for 100 Baht if you are not a guest.  

[sqwakvfr]

Spoke to a  security guard at my old apartment complex and he said this hotel will close in January 2025.  Also, the hotel and Kad Suan Kaew shopping center will be demolished.  

 

He might be right because on Agoda reservation for Lotus are no longer available in Jan or Feb 2025. In the past I heard from another local that the company that built the Terminal 21 shopping malls was interested in developing this site.