Living in Bangkok, Thailand, you might think there’s not much point my owning hotel membership cards. After all, if I have an apartment here, why on earth would I need to use a hotel? You’d be surprised. Not only is owning the best hotel membership cards in Bangkok a great idea for when you eat at the hotel’s restaurants or use their beauty spas, but you can also book rooms for friends and relatives at greatly reduced prices.
In fact, if you’re living in Bangkok or planning on moving here soon, or just take frequent trips to the Land of Smiles, signing up for these best Bangkok hotel membership cards is something I recommend you do.
S Privilege Card for Shangri-La – I signed up for the S Privilege Card for the Shangri-La Hotel primarily because I was there, it was offered to me and, the most important thing, it was free. Almost a year later, I’ve used the card so many times I’ll definitely be renewing it once it expires.
With the S Privilege Card at the Shangri-La you get a 20 percent discount on any Deluxe Room you book, whether for yourself or for a family member. I haven’t used it for this as yet but, if my parents visit me again in Bangkok, the Shangri-La is the first hotel I will be looking at booking.
Not only discounts on hotel rooms, though, you also get 20 percent discounts on all food and beverages at the Shangri-La’s excellent restaurants. I’ve used it for a client lunches at the Next2 Cafe, as well as for afternoon teas and Sunday brunches with various friends. As the Shangri-La serves some of the best food in Bangkok, the S Privilege Card has been one of the best things I’ve signed up for.
Club Marriott – The only hotel membership card in Bangkok that I’ve paid for so far is the Club Marriott card, but it has been well worth the 7,800 baht ($245) price. That’s because I eat at Marriott restaurants in Bangkok quite a lot as I have clients close to the Marriott Hotel on Sukhumvit Road, and two of them enjoy eating at the restaurants there.
With the Club Marriott card in Bangkok, you get 35 percent off every meal if you are eating alone and 50 percent off if there are two or more people in your group. That alone means the steep initial fee for the Club Marriott card is well worth it if you only dine here a few times a year. As I eat there much more, my Club Marriott card had paid for itself in just the first two months.
Add in that the card isn’t just Bangkok exclusive, as it can be used at Marriott Hotels all over Thailand and, indeed, all over south east Asia, and even $245 for this hotel membership card is an extremely good deal.
Hilton Premium Club – The only hotel membership card in Bangkok that I don’t have yet is the Hilton Premium Club card, but I do plan on picking one up in the next couple of months. That’s because the Hilton Premium Club card includes not only Hilton and Conrad Hotels all over Thailand, but also Hilton hotels in various other Asian countries, including Malaysia. As I travel to Kuala Lumpur several times a year, the Hilton Premium Club card is a ‘must have’ for me.
Similar to the Club Marriott card, while you get hotel room discounts with the Hilton card, you also get discounts of between 20 and 50 percent at Hilton Hotel restaurants, depending on how many people are in your party. There is even a 25 percent discount when dining at Prime Steakhouse at the Hilton Millennium and, as it’s one of my favorite steak restaurants in Bangkok, I’d use the card there for sure.
With the club card, Hilton hotels also offer a 20-30 percent discount at Hilton spas and fitness centers. That means, once I own a club card, when I need a manicure or a facial a Hilton spa would be one of the first places I’d consider going.
Finally, if you have a spouse or a partner, the fee includes a second card for them. At 7,500 baht per year, or $238, a Hilton Premium Card is well worth owning for anyone who likes Hilton hotels and plans on staying in them, eating at them, or using their spa or fitness facilities at least once or twice a month.
You can find more about the enormous number of benefits you get with the Hilton Premium Club card at their website. Just be aware, as of this writing, for some odd reason you cannot use the card at the Hilton Sukhumvit for some things, so check to make sure the activity you plan on doing is covered before you make bookings or reservations there.
