As a trip advisor user & some one who lives in bangkok - I think we users deserve more - a section to review safety would be a start !

No sprinklers on burned hotel floor
Published: 9/03/2012 at 05:59

The banquet room on the fifth floor of the Grand Park Avenue Hotel, where Thursday night's fatal fire started, had no sprinklers and was probably built in an area planned as a carpark, Deputy Bangkok Governor Thirachon Manomaipibul said on Friday.

The whole floor had no sprinkler system installed, and the floor-to-ceiling distance appeared to be too low, Mr Thirachon said after inspecting the 15-storey, four-star hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 22 this morning.

He suspected the floor might have originally be designed as a carpark and the used for other purposes as part of the hotel's extension.

An initial inspection found the premises occupioed by the Grand Park Avenue Hotel were registered as a residential building in 1989, and the owners sought permission to operate as a hotel in 1992, Mr Thirachon said.

Buildings that were built before 1992 were not required to install sprinklers under the 1992 Building Safety Control Act.

City Hall announced plans to draft a new ordinance demanding that owners of older buildings comply with the 1992 Building Safety Control Act following Saturday’s fire at the 33-year-old Fico Place highrise building in nearby Soi Asoke, Sukhumvit soi 21.

City Hall will set up 50 teams comprising officials from the Public Works Department. Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, City Law Enforcement Department and District Offices to inspect large private buildings in all 50 districts of Bangkok to ensure they comply with the building control law.

Pichaya Chantaranuwat, chair of building safety committee of the Engineering Institute of Thailand, said after inspecting the firte-damaged Grand Park Avenue Hotel that there was only one fire exit on the fifth floor where the fire started and no fire doors to prevent the blaze and smoke from quickly spreading to other floors.

The fire was reported around 9.40pm Thursday night. There were 23 hotel guests reported injured. Most were Russian. One of the injured, an Asian man, was later pronounced dead at hospital. Medical staff said he died from smoke asphyxiation.

This is definetly not a hotel to stay in, its no ways close to a 4 star.
The service is not up to the standards and the rooms -oh my God they are just useless. Horrible rooms. a normal 2 star will be better.
There is no internet facility, no proper cable. tvs are as old as the 1990.

it is a small hotel with no frill. But you might paying less, so I am sure you will not mind.
Location wise this hotel is not bad. Near to Metro but little far from the main area of Sukhumvit-Nana. There are plenty of small pub and shops on this area though. Just walk few steps to Sukumvit main road and you will find a cyber cafe with cheap internet rate. Hotels internet is expensive, so I did not try.

Breakfast is not attractive, very limited choice. Rooms are small and the bathrooms are VERY small. When I visited at Aug,2011 this property seems clean to me though I have found some other review stated that the hotel was not enough clean during their visit. My major concern is the staff's attitude. They were not friendly, even some cases they were rude.

I think you might find some better place in this area in similar price range. Pls look at TA and compare accordingly. But If you do not find any other place, you can give this hotel a try.