Every detail about this ideally located sophisticated jewel is perfect from Toto’s professional personal butler assistance, the dreamy bedrooms, gorgeous gardens and discreet but graceful service. Would love to return Chris & Katie from Shropshire - England
After three long years away from Thailand, due to the pandemic and Covid restrictions, we returned in October. We didn’t have to think twice to know exactly where we wanted to stay in Chiang Mai. We’ve stayed at 137 Pillars House a number of times, and it’s never disappointed. Many hotels have a problem with consistency over a period of years, but not this one. If anything, it’s grown better. For me, the moment of walking into the quiet, tranquil grounds is an aesthetic pleasure, which continues in the rooms and public areas. The al fresco area of the bar, contained in the 19th-century East Borneo Company building, is extraordinarily beautiful. I’ve never ceased to be amazed that not more guests take advantage of their Happy Hour, if only to have an excuse to sit and soak up the atmosphere! To us, it’s important to stay at places where the staff members are well treated by management. At 137, the busy GM, Anne, is never too hurried to stop for a brief talk, and multiple staff members have told us how much they love Khun Anne. And unlike some five-star hotels where we’ve stayed in Thailand, the warm smiles of the staff here are genuine. We now consider our several-time butler, Toto, to be a friend. We also enjoy the other guests at 137 Pillars House. I was intrigued by the sweet smiles and shy greetings of one impressively stylish young Thai couple, daily dressed in amazingly unwrinkled linen haute couture. Most guests we’ve encountered there lack the self-importance we’ve witnessed in so many other luxury hotels’ guests. It seems at 137, we’re all there for the serenity.…
First the good. The place is optically an oasis, gorgeous gardens, green spacious, wide and relaxing. Serene, an amazing retreat in a city the likes of Chiangmai. The room is divine, comfortable and quiet ( if nobody above you is stomping around on the hardwood floor) The adjacent private terraces are ideal, the bathroom, the outdoor showers, the waterpressure, this all is top notch. What we also liked was the whatsapp communication with our butler who was always on call to arrange anything we needed. Amazing service. Unfortunately since we are paying an absolute top price here, comparable to let's say the Waldorf in Bangkok I'm gonna have to compare it to places of the latter category. This place could be one of the absolute top-hotels in Thailand but unfortunately it's not. First of all the staff. All of them are sweet and well willing. But the service is high peaks and low valleys. At breakfast when the GM is not around they hang around in groups to chat and scatter away if you approach them. Some of them remove an empty plate from your table in super slow motion as if it's a golden Fabergé egg, some of them remove everything constantly if it's too empty for their liking. Most of them don't understand a thing if you go off script. The pool girl one day couldn't understand anything about my question when the sun would hit the pool or when it was in shadow, leaving both her and me embarrassed. This happened a lot. What we also didn't like; the coffee. Machines need an overhaul, recalibration and cleaning, and the staff needs a coffee making class. Such a shame we had some awesome coffees in the areas close to the hotel but basically after breakfast had to flee the place just to have a decent coffee. A lot of the hardware needs replacement, especially around the breakfast station; the mirocwave, toaster and yogurt fridge had their best years. Breakfast in itself was decent, but all in all a bit poor in selection compared to every other 5* hotel in Bangkok. Incomprehensibly they don't make the juicing station a starring feature of the breakfast and man it full time, the customised veggies/fruit juices it produced were an absolute highlight of the breakfast. One thing absolutely diminishing the serenity of the grounds was the terrible art put on pedestals all over the place, accompanied by dodgy stands with plasticised QR printouts for more information. Dated and badly curated. Put some nice vases with floating lotus flowers and it's 10 times more relaxing than this overwrought "decoration". And talking about decoration, it seems like the Xerox machine worked overhours to print out some copies of old black and white pictures that hung neatly framed in our room. Especially if they hang exact duplicates next to each other. ( Bathroom 14) Find an old botanical book and frame the pages instead, it can be so easy. Since im only awarding three out of five I need to elaborate a bit more; The restaurant was just like the clientele, old. The menu was a bunch of safe Western hotel options and nivellated Thai dishes. The taste was mediocre at best, how is it possible with a kitchen as fabulous as the Thai kitchen? The wine list was also snooze fest. Again this place could rock but it was comatose. Lastly my pet peeve, check-in or check-out. These moments book-end your experience and especially the check-in sets the tone. We were seated in the spa area to wait as it was too busy. 2 meters across from us sat a freely massaged couple in bathrobes awkwardly avoiding our smelly presence after travelling for almost a full day. Some more awkward waiting could have bee avoided to just bring us to our room and deal with the formalities at a better time. Also when we finally had dinner in the restaurant a front desk employee rushed in for my autograph at the moment food was being served not able to explain why he needed my autograph pronto. I went back in-between course to explain my annoyance. Just come back at a better time, don't take the fork out of my mouth just because it fits your timing. Shortly; amazing potential. BUT needs major overhaul, modernisation, staff classes. new chef, new menu. New art direction. Im sorry to say that I will definitely not come back for this price. The staff need also need tighter direction; you cannot put a girl next to the pool that doesn't understand the question when the su hits the pool. You cannot put your smelling guests at check-in at the waiting seat in your spa area across fro a young couple in their bathrobes awkwardly staring at the smelly newly arrived. You cannot stom into the restaurant to have some forgotten checkin document signed at the moment food is being served. And about that restaurant, another slight disappointment. Unimaginative dishes, a dated wine list. Nothing exciting or exuberant of modern by far. Safe options for the mainly senior clientele. Everything breaths old in this place.…
This is truly an excellent hotel. We've been disappointed by other hotels in Chiang Mai, but this is a genuine luxury property. We were traveling with two small kids, and even though this hotel isn't exactly optimized for that mode of travel (no kids club etc.), we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will absolutely return. Food was great, waiters understand food allergies and everyone is so attentive - rare to see this level of attention to details. Location makes it quiet yet walkable to city center.
We went as a family of 4, three in our twenties and one mom, and we absolutely loved our time at 137 Pillars. We attended the NYE gala and were smiling, laughing and dancing the entire night. The staff is so attentive, thoughtful, and lovely. The accommodations are gorgeous - especially the large outdoor showers. The food is so fresh and delicious. Every aspect of our stay was well planned, including the delicious smelling bug sprays we are now all obsessed with. Our personal staff member Toto suggested the most perfect shopping day and set us up with rides and helpful directions. Anne the GM was so wonderful to speak to and spend time with at the gala. The passion fruit margaritas by the pool were divine. The daily atmosphere of this place is serene and the surrounding area is walkable and has lively restaurants and shopping to get a taste of the local experience. We’re only just on our way out and we already miss the people and this beautiful place. A must go! …
We had an amazing stay here! It’s a small luxurious boutique hotel, very charming and the service is excellent. The rooms are amazing. Toto made our stay particularly special and was always available. Would highly recommend staying here!
My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon. This, by far, has been the best hotel we have stayed at. The staff was amazing and the service was exceptional. They pay attention to every detail, from the dining experience to room service. Our butler Ray was incredible. He booked every massage, transportation, and excursion for us. He was constantly available no matter the time of day. He made our experience that much better. Would highly recommend this hotel to anyone.
After covid we returned to Thailand to visit/support our favorite places, so we chose to spend six nights at The Pillars. It was just as we remembered, a quiet oasis in the middle of Chiang Mai. It was a pleasure to have Toto as our butler and as always he did not disappoint with dining and excursion tips. It was also a treat to see Tae who we knew from David's Kitchen (now closed) as the food and beverage director. He and Toto were great in helping me with a surprise dinner on the lawn for my wife. We spoke at length with Anne Arrowsmith ( General Manager ) about how the Pillars were able to keep all their staff employed and all the difficulties of dealing with covid, while maintaining the high level of service that people are used to from 137 Pillars. I could go on about how fabulous our stay was, but I think what I said to my wife after our first night pretty much sums it up. I told her that when I laid down on the bed I felt as if I was being consumed by a Marshmellow....relaxed... …
This is exactly what a luxury hotel should be. From the moment we were picked up by 137 Pillars at Chiang Mai airport we were treated with incredible hospitality. When we arrived at the beautiful property, they greeted us with a delicious tea at check in. We then met our personal concierge, Toto, who was a delight. He took us on a tour of the grounds and then to our gorgeous room. The room was incredibly well appointed and decorated, with great space and comfort. He also took care of all our transportation and gave us great recommendations for restaurants and things to do. When we went to the elephant sanctuary he even gave us a cute little tote with towels and bottled water for us to take. The breakfast was absolutely delicious, and every morning they had different items to try - a great way to start the day. Everyone at 137 Pillars was so kind and pleasant and so very helpful whenever we needed assistance (we purchased a large wooden Buddha statue and our concierge, Toto, took care of it and wrapped it in bubble wrap for us to bring home safely - just incredible service!) The grounds are beautiful, it's so nice and relaxing to walk among the gardens. My family and I left 137 Pillars happy and thankful for everyone there. Anne, the General Manager, came to introduce herself during breakfast one morning, she's lovely. She also asked our two boys, 9 and 10, to help her bring offerings to a small temple they have on property as well as to the typical Thai spirit house, also on property. A great learning experience for the our boys. All I can say is our stay at 137 Pillars House was a phenomenal experience.…
137 Pillars House is a professionally run, well located hotel with comfortable, well furnished suites and the butler service (really a concierge) is very helpful. However, at the price charged, I expected wow factor but did not find it at all. Staff are professional, friendly and efficient but not exceptional for Thailand. The rooms are well furnished but in a corporate way - no individuality. When I booked, I intended to eat dinner at the restaurant (the menu looks very attractive) but there is no buzz around the bar or the restaurant the evening so ate outside both evenings. Breakfast is not of the standard it should be for a hotel of this price. All in all, it's not a hotel I would choose to stay at again but if you just want a very comfortable place to stay near the centre of Chiang Mai and don't mind the price then may be worth considering…
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