The Atlanta Hotel, Bangkok - #1 (Hotel & Rooms).

I promised in November 2007 to write about The Atlanta Hotel after my return. Please refer to “Going to The Atlanta”. However, I was caught up with living and writing about other adventures. Here is the first part and sorry for the delay. Why am I writing about this historic hotel? You have to read the first part to understand why.


The first thing whether The Atlanta appeals to you is whether history appeals to you. If it does, you will find it very interesting and that will more than overcome all the other shortcomings. I’m trying to write a balanced view so that you know what to expect should you want to stay there and not blame me for over-selling it. Before I wax lyrics about its timeless beauty, let me first give you a cold factual account of its facilities.

The next other good thing about The Atlanta is its cost. As mentioned in my earlier post, I took a family suite with 2 bedrooms and a small sitting room for only RM170. A single bedroom suite cost only RM75. Where else can you find another hotel in Bangkok that is clean, safe, and within 10 minutes walk from the center of the city for that sum, never mind the history?

The Atlanta celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2002.

The building on the right is the hotel. It is located at the dead end of a long street. The last building is appropriately a church.

This is the street from which we came. It is lighted at night but not that bright.

If you have not noticed the large sign at the main door “sex tourist not welcome”, there are more signs and rules all over the hotel reminding you of its policies. While some may find this off-putting, others may welcome them as the hotel stated clearly it is only interested in certain types of customers.

The view from the hotel is not great. This is the view from my room, you will just be staring out into other buildings. Mine at least have a gap between the buildings to look further. There is bird proof nettings which further obstruct the view. Furthermore, the room is so basic that you would not want to stay in the room except to sleep.

This is the small sitting room with sofa before you enter the two bedrooms. The picture actually looks better than its actual appearance.

Same goes for the bedroom too. But it is neat and clean – just old. You have a double bed and single bed so at least 6 persons can share this family suite. It is very good value for money for those on a budget.

This is the bathroom, again very basic. There is hot water but the amount of water coming out of the shower is rather small so you will disappointed if you expect a jet.

This is a very very old cupboard. Its doors are just a pull over curtain. Must be as old as the hotel.

Every room has a safe but it is not what you expect. It is a metal box with a padlock.

The furniture and fittings of this hotel is really old like this old wall lamp.

First time I saw this type of telephone in a hotel.

Some of these fittings are old but classy. There are plenty of quaint things throughout the hotel that you will not see elsewhere. Some of them are antiques. Whether you can appreciate them depends entirely on you. I liked this hotel. I love its history. It is a bargain for money. It is unique. But I accept it may not be for everyone. I will have another few posts to help you decide if it is for you.

To be continued...