I spent my “Test And Go” quarantine night at the Hyatt Place Bangkok, a budget property I have stayed at twice in the past. All things considered, I was pleased by the experience and would recommend it.
Hyatt Place Bangkok Quarantine
Booking
The package was arranged directly with the hotel via email (reservations.bkkzs@hyatt.com). Quarantine packages (both Test & Go and AQ) are available. The cost for my package was 5,000THB (roughly $150).
Airport Pickup
Upon clearing immigration at BKK, I found a hotel representative in a cordoned-off area of the arrivals level. All incoming passengers meet their shuttle drivers here.
One other passenger on my flight, a returning expat from Boston, was also quarantining at the hotel. We were told to have a seat and about 10 minutes later were summoned by our shuttle driver. We walked outside the (guarded) exit and were ushered into a van.
Traffic was very light and we made it in record time of 30 minutes (at least in my experience).
Check-In
Arriving at the hotel, we were directed to a health screening area outside the ground level elevators. Like many hotels in Asia, the lobby is located on an upper level, but this lobby is currently off-limits to guests. All check-in and check-out formalities occur on the ground level.
First, a man took my passport, glanced at it, then handed it back to me and asked me to sign the folio. There was no room key, because I would not be allowed out of my room during the quarantine.
A woman in a hazmat suit seated at the next table gave me one of the worst nasal swabs I have ever endured. Not only did she swab both nostrils, but she stuck it way up deep and swabbed for far too long.
Ouch.
I was also given a rapid antigen test I was told to administer myself…or maybe not. Perhaps something was lost in translation because I did nothing with this test and it wasn’t like an Abbot at-home test. I ended up just throwing it away.
Room
Anyway, the guy who checked me in escorted me up to my room on the 17th floor. Stepping out of the elevator, he opened the door for me and then shut it behind me.
Hopefully this will be the closest I will ever get to prison.
The room itself was nice, with a great view of the city, comfortable bed, and functional bathroom.
I noticed a rubber faux wood floor rolled over the usual vinyl floor.
Meals
At the desk was a QR code which I would use to order my meals (via Google Forms). Included in the quarantine package is three meals per day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can order all three meals at once the evening before.
Dinner
Having feasted on ANA, I wasn’t hungry at all, but for purposes of the review ordered dinner shortly after arriving. It included an appetizer or soup (I chose mushroom cream soup), a main course (creamy chicken ragout), a dessert (sliced watermelon), and a drink (I skipped it, as the room had four water bottles).
The meal is placed on a table outside your door. A pair of knocks indicated dinner was ready. Again, I noted the immense amount of plastic waste this pandemic has encouraged “for our safety.”
The food was not great, but tolerable. By that, I mean the chicken was tough and lacked flavor (the sauce helped a bit) and the soup was too salty. It felt like hospital food. But I did appreciate the large menu with Thai and international cuisine, plus plenty of vegetarian choices.
When finished, you place your plastic containers in a refuse bin outside the door.
I fell asleep after dinner and was awakened at about 6:30am by a telephone call. My test had come back negative and I was free to go, about 14 hours after arriving.
I asked if I could come downstairs and was told, no, that someone would need to come up and get me. Instead, I spent several more hours in the room catching up on work for the day.
Breakfast
Breakfast arrived; an omelet with bacon and sausage, potatoes, vegetables, a salad, fruit, a croissant and coffee. Not bad in terms of quantity and the croissant was tasty. The omelet was fine, but it probably powdered. I didn’t touch the sausage.
Lunch
I had ordered lunch too, but left before that was delivered. Here’s the menu:
The hotel also will deliver food up to your room if you wish to order out, which I am sure is a godsend if you are actually doing a 10-day quarantine.
Check-Out
When it came time to check-out, I called downstairs and a bellman was sent up to take my bags down. I asked if I could store my bags fo ra few hours while I went on a coffee run around the city and was obliged. In fact, he took me down to the deserted lobby where I left my bags at the front desk.
Downstairs, I was presented a paper copy of my PCR test, which I would use to fly home to the USA a couple days later.
When I returned, another hotel associate went upstairs and grabbed my bags for me.
CONCLUSION
The Test And Go package was very easy and I was happy with the Hyatt Place Bangkok, a fairly nice prison! Hopefully Thailand will abolish even the need to Test And Go sooner rather than later, but one night in a quarantine hotel should not deter you from traveling to Thailand.
Any idea if alcohol is available (or allowed), either from the hotel or by ordering out? Or in minibar? It would go a long way toward making quarantine a bit more tolerable.
Great job on this series. Can’t wait to get back to BKK.
Good question. I do believe you could order alcohol either from the hotel bar (at 20% off) or from an outside source.
I did my 24 hour test and go at Sinsuvan airport resort Aprox $A150 . . Good deal, comfortable bed, great shower and very presentable food . Ordered and received 4 longnecks Leo, had to pay at the door wen delivered (lucky i always arrive with a coupke thousand thai baht (in my bag from 2 and half years ago .) Have really enjoyed my stay in Thailand so far . …
I question the rationale of delegating in hotels PCR testing,instead of having it done by a licensed healthcare professional. It would make more sense for the driver to stop in a testing location and then proceed to the hotel.
At the Royal Orchid Sheraton they do a drive through test at a hospital as part of their package.
Even if the test is administered at the hotel, it’s done by hospital staff. Normally you pay two fees for AQ hotels, one directly to the hotel for the stay and another to partner hospital for the test.
Nice article, very informative
You indicated the arrivals area is cordoned off and you were led to your hotel pick up kiosk. Just wondering if there is an opportunity to go get a Sim card and exchange currency, I believe all on a floor below arrivals?
No, not possible at this time to leave that confined area. But there is currency exchange in the baggage claim hall.
I question this rationale period. Why would anyone triple vaccinated travel somewhere to ensure this which as Matthew admits, is probably only second to being in prison? God forbid it comes back as a false positive.
If anything I would argue a better plan would be similar to what Hawaii used to do where you had to have a negative result within x days of traveling. At least that way you would likely know before traveling if you would need to quarantine for 10 days.
Sorry but triple vaccinated passengers aren’t the ones spreading Covid. Especially if they can also provide a negative test. It’s all theatre and a money making scam.
@shawn. Why not get quadruple vaccinated. Extra cool. Nearly every country now requires a test result at some point during immigration process – US included – regardless of vaccination status. Either every public health office is wrong or perhaps your confidence is not well placed. No country trusts your little paper vaccination card. Matt took some creative license in this post or something was lost in translation. This is not a quarantine hotel and he was interacting with the same staff that helps every other guest, most of whom are not doing test and go. He can ask for anything he wants and staff will bring it and he could have walked out at any moment after being informed the test was negative. Have navigated thai immigration 3 times this year. There is nothing scary about it. More like dmv than prison. Bring a little patience, which you’ll likely need anyway in nearly every part of life in Bangkok.
Unlike many other AQ hotels in Bangkok, the Hyatt Place is only open for quarantine guests, not “normal” guests. This is a quarantine hotel, or at least it was a month ago when I was there. And while I could have “escaped” via an emergency exit, the elevator would not move without a special key (and no, I didn’t try it, just saw it when coming up and going down). Unlike in some places, however, there were no guards in the hall.
I’m at the Hyatt as a ‘normal’ guest having done my Day 1 elsewhere.
Answering someone else’s point that vaccinated travellers don’t need quarantine …. This is wrong. Being vaccinated doesn’t give us immunity; we can still have Covid-19 and we can transmit it to others.
This is a change from last month when I was there. How is it? Is the rooftop bar open? Fitness center? Breakfast in the room off the lobby?
I’m about 5 more months I will be. And yes let’s continue to test vaccinated travelers because it works. And yet…..Covid still continues. If vaccines don’t work what is that saying about all these public health experts. Let’s just test everyone everyday everywhere. The covid cards are what we have. So yes they should be used. And just how people can fake them, they can fake a result as well as has happened. It’s a cash cow that gives the theatre of public health experts doing something.
“Triple vaxed aren’t the ones spreading COVID”
Most articles points to that not being true.
“Most reported U.S. Omicron cases have hit the fully vaccinated -CDC”
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/most-reported-us-omicron-cases-have-hit-fully-vaccinated-cdc-2021-12-10/
And there’s more where that came from.
Republicans simply don’t want to follow any rules. It’s simply about growing up. Ask any parent of a three-year old.
You missed the critical part of this review
Would you recommend this place for 14 days if you did test positive and then we’re stuck there for 2 more weeks. Any test and go hotel recommendation should consider that extremely important aspect
I’d go stir crazy anywhere. But yes, the ability to order outside food would be key and the fact that this room had. comfortable bed, a/c, good shower, power ports, fast wi-fi makes it a viable 14-day resting place.
If you test positive you are going straight to hospital for 10 days.
I did 16 days of ASQ… This ain’t sh!t!
My condolences.
That looked painless and seems well executed by everyone involved. Nice recap and as much as I hate all of the quarantine/testing rules I find these reviews very useful as to expectations and steps.
Thanks for this comprehensive report. I think that antigen test is intended to be used on day 6 or 7 of a longer stay in the country. I think you report the results on an app somehow.
I stayed at this hotel Thursday the 9th. Arrived around 1245 am I guess on the 10th. The testing was quick although I chuckled at the person testing. She had full blown hazmat suit with foot coverings and shield. Doesn’t she know the people she is testing are fully vaccinated with recent negative test prior to flight?? Anyways they called at 830 am with negative results. This hotel has one floor for quarantine guests. Other “normal” guests are on different floors. Great location as you are close to lot of “action”
I was tested Thursday in Bali. The person taking the swab was in full hazmat gear inside a giant glass box with two large rubber gloves built in and into which she placed her hands, and then the rubber gloves were covered with gloves, for my protection i suppose. But everyone else i interacted with just wore a mask. Funny.
Probably a smart move avoiding the cattle fish.
Which phone did you get the 6:30am call on? Do they allow you to register an overseas number for results?
The room phone.
Is that easy to apply for Thailand Pass ?
Alot of people have problems with that and missed their travel dates , how about queuing in and out in other countries ?
Cheers ,
It worked for me. No other data points unfortunately.
I did the full 16 day quarantine. You thought the food was tolerable, wait until day 10.
Hi does anyone know once you have done your one day quarantine in Bangkok can you then return to the airport to travel onto Phuket. And would I have to quarantine again there due to air travel
You can connect in bkk to go on to Phuket if your flights match up. You can also due the 10-12 hour wait in bkk and when you get your rest results go on to Phuket. No need to do anything else to fly domestically
I’m in Bangkok and was at the park Hyatt and decided to move to Hyatt place for one night so that I can close out my stay 5 brands get one night free promo. I checked in and went to the room and promptly asked for a points refund and went over the Hyatt regency. Hyatt place was a smelly dump that had no globalist recognition and basic was an understatement . I was happy to do my sha plus night at Marriott marquis prior to that and was released the same day after only 10 hours for $250.00, one way airport, drive through PCR and one bedroom suite upgrade due to my titanium status.
When were you allowed to leave? Immediately at 6:30 am?
Correct.
I am currently staying at the Hyatt Pace and as a Globalist they always ug me a vista end room XX01 or a suite. My room has never been dirty or smelly. I have been staying here often since they first opened.
I did my SHA at the Hyatt Regency which was a complete waste of 7800 Baht when compared to what is offered at the HP for 5000 baht. The breakfast was no choice even thought they told me at 1 am to call room service and order what I want. They showed up with a cup of cold coffee, well cooked fried eggs which were cold, no butter or salt/pepper and no knife. I wrote this up in a request from the HR and copied trip advisor.
Pre-covid the HP had a nice buffet on the 3rdfloor but now you have BF on the 28th floor Aire Bar. BF is very good.
I check out tomorrow and am doing a long stay rate at the HR.
Next time I come in February if there is still a 1 day quarantine I plan to book the HP.
Matthew what are your feelings about doing the full quarantine to be honest I’m really worried that I wouldn’t cope as I’m very much an outdoor active person yes 24 hours I could manage but the full time?? Thankyou! Steve in London.UK
I would go absolutely crazy. No way I would travel to a place that would require a quarantine that long.
How did you feel about sharing transport from airport. If the person you share with tests positive you are straight into 10days quarantine
A risk I was willing to take.
Miserable choice of hotel so quit moaning. Meals in plastic -ugh. We paid nearly the same price for the Amari, had a Riverview BALCONY, our meals served on stoneware, and a really helpful staff. We decided that if we had to do full quarantine why add to the misery with an airtight room?
It turned out we were done in 10 hours, the test came back and we were gone.
One very important point missed here is do NOT discard your international flight boarding pass – every hotel we’ve stayed in during the past 3 weeks has asked for it, not the government pass… it turns out all hotels are regulated to photocopy your boarding pass or they are fined. Lose that scrap of paper no telling how many problems you’ll generate for yourself.
Otherwise enjoy a less crowded more welcoming Thailand then we’ve experienced over the past 18 yearly visits
I was not asked at the Hyatt Place for boarding pass.
Amari looks nice!
Excellent point.. we nearly messed that up, but dig deep and found the boarding passes.
Hi Matthew, I’m the expat that rode in the van with you. Agreed on the food but room and view were great. I was out by 8:30AM the next day. I guess now the hotels aren’t doing the testing onsite anymore and doing drive thru at the hospital they’re working with. Plan to go home for Christmas and return Mid January. Now the challenge is to find the hotel/hospital combo where the hospital is on the way to the hotel and not an hour out of the way. Nice to meet you and enjoying your site.
-Daniel
Hi Daniel, it was a pleasure to share a ride with you! Thanks for the update. I hope our paths cross again soon!
We were horrified by the volume of plastic we generated during our stay here (7 days). Nice of you to attach the menus.. that makes the review quite complete.
So there is no place to get a SIM while at the airport until after clearing quarantine at the hotel?
I’m not making that definitive statement, but I did not see any.
I did 15 days at this hotel in July-Aug. The amount of plastic waste was immense. I asked for real cutlery and dishes so I didn’t have to dine off plastic. They gave me one set that I washed in the bathroom sink. A microwave would have been nice.
Good for you for making that request.
Did your T&G night post for WoH credit? I noticed that the Park Hyatt Bangkok terms for T&G includes: “Rates are non-commissionable and may not be eligible for World of Hyatt points and tier acculumation.”
Mine did – I made sure before booking that my stay would count and it posted two days later like any other stay.
Test and Go? Thats really “test and be extorted.” The Thailand Pass
Has done nothing but once again, find new and creative ways to extort money in the spirit of alledgd safety.
Your harrassed by the Airline, prior to departue with no warning what so ever in the usual e-mail 24 hours to 48 hours before departure time,
This provides the Airlines with incentives to overbook any and all flights to Thailand with no chance of handing out distressed coupons or vouchers to 100’s of denied boarding due to not securing a hotel for 1 night.
This recently happened to Thai business men who went to Europe on business Visas who were there for only 4 days and could not make a secured payment as theyre banks sent a verification via SMS thst did not work in Europe,
They were forced to call family memebers…who had to reserve rooms for them with bank transfers and pleadings to the Hotels that they were rrally who they said they were to throw the switches for The Thailand Pass to be approved,
Its another way to legalize corruption in Thailsnd, and another scam to capture the lost revenue in recent years.
Matthew , if I understand correctly after the 1 day quarantine once your test comes negative you are free to move in any city in Thailand including Phuket? or is there any restriction?
You are correct- you can travel freely within Thailand.
All is fine and well as long as you test negative on arrival, the real nightmare starts when the result comes back positive, or when you were near someone who tested positive. Then you spend 14 days inside a thai hospital with a 10k usd hangover for the cost (assuming you don’t have symptoms)……I would love to return to Thailand but I don’t like the gamble.