We’ve seen some hotels get creative with trying to fill rooms in light of the pandemic, and that has come in many different forms. We recently saw the Anantara Veli Maldives sell unlimited stays in the Maldives for a year for $30,000.
Well, there’s now a city hotel offering something similar, and I have to commend just how comprehensive this package is.
In this post:
Stay at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok for a year
The Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit has launched the One Million Baht Club, and it’s called that because it’s how much you’ll pay for this… roughly ~$33,300, and that includes taxes and fees.
Usually I’d say it’s strange to name a promotion after how much you’re asking people to pay for it, especially if you want people to think they’re getting a deal, but I get that this has a ring to it.
As it’s described, the One Million Baht Club is a signature unlimited stay privilege package from the hotel, which it’s calling “a wonderful value-for-money opportunity for frequent guests who are seeking a semi-permanent stay in the city center of Bangkok.”
What does the One Million Baht Club include?
The One Million Baht Club includes quite a few perks directly with the hotel, as well as with the hotel’s partners. If you buy this package you’ll receive the following:
- Unlimited stays in a club room for 365 nights for up to two adults and one child under 12 years old (the first 20 people who buy a package will receive a club deluxe room)
- Complimentary access to the Regency Club, which gets you breakfast, all day snacks, and evening cocktails
- Usage of the Regency Club meeting room for up to 10 people
- A 200,000 THB (~$6,600) credit to use towards the hotel’s restaurants, room service, bars, and events
- A private rooftop birthday party at Spectrum for up to 20 people, with two hours of free flowing drinks
- Complimentary laundry and dry cleaning, for up to six pieces per day
- Complimentary parking for one car
- Standard amenities like on demand housekeeping, use of the fitness center, complimentary wifi, complimentary local calls, use of the concierge’s services, and no charges for electricity and water
This package includes Regency Club access
Then there are also some partner amenities, including the following:
- 10 limousine rides within Bangkok
- 10 nights stay at your choice of Hyatt properties in Thai beach destinations, including Hua Hin, Samui, or Phuket
- 10 one-hour Thai or Aroma massages
- An Executive Program Medical Check-up for one person at Bumrungrad International Hospital, including a roundtrip transfer
Receive 10 limousine rides around Bangkok with this package
Do you earn World of Hyatt points?
The hotel claims that this package includes standard World of Hyatt in-hotel benefits, including earning points and having nights count towards elite status.
You would easily earn World of Hyatt Globalist status with this, and the spending would even get you over 15% of the way to lifetime Globalist status.
It’s also interesting to note that this is apparently transferable to family members with the same last name.
If you’re interested in this package you can contact the hotel at 02-098-1234 or [email protected].
Is this a good deal?
On the surface this might not seem like that great of a deal, especially compared to the Maldives offer. Getting a year in an overwater bungalow for $30,000 represents more savings over the “sticker price” compared to paying 10% more for a room in a Hyatt Regency in a city.
Purely in terms of booking a standard room, the savings here are marginal. Rooms here seem to start at about $150 per night including taxes and fees (which are high in Thailand). So you’re saving about a third compared to outright booking 365 nights.
The real value here comes in all of the inclusions, which make living at a hotel actually decent, ranging from having a club room, to laundry inclusions, to a $6,000+ credit towards in-hotel dining, to getting massages, to a birthday party for 20 people.
This seems like a cool setting for a birthday party!
Of course the big catch here is that Thailand is currently closed to most foreigners, so a vast majority of us wouldn’t be able to take advantage of this right now even if we wanted to. That being said, I’m not sure if you could book this package in the future, so if anyone is interested, it could make sense to reach out to the hotel and ask.
It goes without saying that this is outrageously expensive by “local” Thai standards, but at the same time, renting a nice place in Bangkok as an expat isn’t necessarily cheap, and if anything, this might not be that much more expensive when you consider all the inclusions and conveniences.
Personally I couldn’t imagine taking advantage of this even if I still lived in hotels full time, but maybe it will interest something? I do think the hotel is being pretty optimistic when it suggests that only the first 20 people to buy a package will receive a deluxe room, because I’d be surprised if 20 people bought this (though I also understand the intent is probably to create urgency and scarcity).
Bottom line
The Hyatt Regency Bangkok is essentially selling a year-long stay with its One Million Baht Club. While the savings aren’t insignificant compared to outright booking a stay otherwise, the value really comes with all of the add-ons, which are creative and valuable.
What do you make of the One Million Baht Club concept? Could you see yourself taking advantage of this, if you were able to enter Thailand?
(Tip of the hat to View from the Wing)
I;m interested in the Hyatt Bangkok, Sukhumvit
i'm interested in this package but the problem for me is the visa, does the Hotel offer any help with that? W
Hey Evan, next time use your left hand. It feels like someone else is doing it. Hopefully, you’ll wake up Ina better mood!
I find it interesting that Marriott and Hilton don't even really seem to be trying even in the middle of the pandemic, and even in ways that wouldn't cost them much money at all. I'm allegedly a top-tier Hilton Diamond; at the allegedly posh Hilton Santa Barbara Resort & Spa, we received no upgrades and $15 of credit for a convenience store breakfast, which was enough for a coffee and a small food item.
...I find it interesting that Marriott and Hilton don't even really seem to be trying even in the middle of the pandemic, and even in ways that wouldn't cost them much money at all. I'm allegedly a top-tier Hilton Diamond; at the allegedly posh Hilton Santa Barbara Resort & Spa, we received no upgrades and $15 of credit for a convenience store breakfast, which was enough for a coffee and a small food item.
Contrast that to Hyatt's recent treatment of us as Hyatt Globalists:
Hyatt Ranch Carmel Valley: upgrade from a 2-person room to a multi-room suite; up to $120 in free breakfast credit daily at their outstanding Valley Kitchen, and free rubber duckies for our kids; upgrades received on 2 different stays. This on a points stay!
Hyatt Unbound Mar Monte: excelletn free poolside breakfast; our breakfast bills ran between $100 and $120
The Hyatt Huntington Beach Resort and Spa: free breakfast by the outstanding Watertable restaurant; upgrade to ~$500 suite. This on a points stay!
Hyatt Regency San Francisco: only had the convenience store open, but we were permitted to take as much as we wanted to eat for breakfast
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport: only had the convenience store open, but we were permitted to take as much as we wanted to eat for breakfast; upgraded to suite IIRC
Hyatt Centric in SF: free hot breakfast
Hyatt Manchester Grand San Diego: free hot breakfast/ we could take what we wanted from the convenience store.
Letting our family raid the convenience store to satiety cost Hyatt perhaps $5-15 a day, max: we tried to be reasonable in our takings. Offering us sit-down breakfast probably cost them less than that, especially after considering we tipped ourselves on top of the tip that they covered. It's a bit inexplicable from a business perspective that Hilton calls people top-tier Diamonds and then cheaps out on a breakfast credit that costs them next to nothing. Not complaining: it's Hilton's loyalty program to do whatever they want with it, but they suffer greatly by comparison against Hyatt and other competitors that are serious about retaining their better customers. We're on track to exceed 100 nights at Hyatt for 2020 this year. Even though Hyatt's "milestone rewards" end at 100 nights, we're inclined to stay at Hyatts beyond that threshold, simply because our treatment and experience as elites is so much better at Hyatt properties.
This works out to about $90 per day for a room in a nice hotel in a very convenient location. It's not super but, it is a pretty good deal if you consider the $6,000 food allowance, the ten nights at the beach and all the other extras. If it was only six months at half the price I would probably be on the phone already.
I agree with Ben and @ Ziggy: Hyatt is hitting the cover off the ball when it comes to excellent promotions, while Marriott and Hilton are completely moribund. I really enjoy Ben's Hyatt reviews. I have lifetime status with both Marriott and Hilton, but am planning a major switch to Hyatt next year. (Ben's great review of the Park Hyatt Hamburg helped me finalize my decision.) Hyatt is doing everything right in the current situation....
I agree with Ben and @ Ziggy: Hyatt is hitting the cover off the ball when it comes to excellent promotions, while Marriott and Hilton are completely moribund. I really enjoy Ben's Hyatt reviews. I have lifetime status with both Marriott and Hilton, but am planning a major switch to Hyatt next year. (Ben's great review of the Park Hyatt Hamburg helped me finalize my decision.) Hyatt is doing everything right in the current situation. I still like Marriott and Hilton, but their kind of defeatist attitude isn't inspiring much confidence. Although I must say that my heart goes out to the whole industry. The hotels were doing great before this catastrophe, and in no way do they deserve what is happening to them and their team members. This isn't just a sucker punch; it's a sucker sidewinder. Really sad.
Grande Asset owns this property, their shares trade for 0.61 baht ($0.02) at the SET, their debt-to-equity ratio for 2019 was 2.53, and they defaulted on some of their debts. I leave it to you to pick up their offer and pay 1m baht in advance - which will go straight to Krungthai Bank.
This is a hard pass. Comes out to ~$2775/mo. For ~$1500, you can rent a much larger brand new condo in a full service building with all the amenities you can dream of . The extra $1200/mo you would save would more than make up the breakfast and lounge food you would miss out on. Bangkok is a very cheap place to eat.
To piggy back on Flo's comment that this hotel is probably in dire straights, I would definitely not pay in advance for this...
If the nights for this promotion do indeed count towards status, then Globalist would be reached very quickly, in which case wouldn't suite upgrades be expected? Strange they make a big deal about club room when that would be the lowest room expected. I would be concerned that they would never give you suite upgrades since they know you are locked in anyway. Also, I found prices at the Grand Hyatt BKK down to $65...
If the nights for this promotion do indeed count towards status, then Globalist would be reached very quickly, in which case wouldn't suite upgrades be expected? Strange they make a big deal about club room when that would be the lowest room expected. I would be concerned that they would never give you suite upgrades since they know you are locked in anyway. Also, I found prices at the Grand Hyatt BKK down to $65 or so in 2021, so prepaying at $100 or so a night whether you are there is not is not a great deal to me. I like the Regency Bkk more, as Grand Hyatt location I think is better for tourists than long term stay, but this is a hard pass for me, even if Thailand would let me in. There will be plenty of extra hotel capacity once things open up, so lots of good deals, no need to lock in now.
Boils down to about the same as I'm paying for 750 Sq.Ft. in Austin. I could seriously consider basing myself in BKK for that much. The THB 200,000 in food is a great offer, and honestly, so is the birthday party. The club lounge would be my office.
I love everything about this offer other than the fact that one would have to be able to cross the Thai border which we sadly can't.
The obvious difference between this and the Maldives offer is that many of us would die of boredom in the Maldives after a week, much less a year. Bangkok is a city that actually has some humanity, texture, and life.
If one of the Hyatt in Shanghai offered this along with a special visa to somehow enable travel, we would be all over it right now at this price point. China is safe now...
The obvious difference between this and the Maldives offer is that many of us would die of boredom in the Maldives after a week, much less a year. Bangkok is a city that actually has some humanity, texture, and life.
If one of the Hyatt in Shanghai offered this along with a special visa to somehow enable travel, we would be all over it right now at this price point. China is safe now and America most decidedly is not: my child's class at school just reported the first of what's bound to be many confirmed coronavirus cases.
@Bob S
I can't speak for Ben, but from personal experience I can make an educated guess that the abundance of information being put out about Hyatt (on a lot of the blogs) and the comparatively little amount of information we're seeing posted about the likes of Marriott, Hilton, and IHG, has a lot to do with just how much real news Hyatt is sharing at the moment compared to the other chains and how...
@Bob S
I can't speak for Ben, but from personal experience I can make an educated guess that the abundance of information being put out about Hyatt (on a lot of the blogs) and the comparatively little amount of information we're seeing posted about the likes of Marriott, Hilton, and IHG, has a lot to do with just how much real news Hyatt is sharing at the moment compared to the other chains and how many worthwhile promotions Hyatt is currently offering compared to the rest.
If you want to gripe about the lack of Marriott and Hilton news, go gripe to Marriott and Hilton who have been about as engaging as a grain of sand for more weeks than I care to remember. I'm sure a lot of bloggers would love to share news about all the other major hotel chains but if the hotel chains aren't doing anything that's particularly newsworthy, it's hard to write about them.
P.S If you want to see the kind of thing that Marriott is calling "a promotion", do a google search for "Marriott Bonvoy Celebrates the Holiday Season" and then come back and say if you think that anything in that "celebration" is a promotion worth discussing.
@ Ziggy -- No, please, by all means speak for me. Well said!
Bizarre how people don't get this. Marriott has no promotion right now and no announcement about status for next year, while Hyatt has more promotions than most people can keep track of.
It's less than my rent, but I have a new 2BR/2BA unit in a brand new building, so I'm getting a better deal on square footage. Plus, I have in-unit laundry. ;-)
This property does NOT qualify for the Special Tourist Visa (which is currently on hold with very few exceptions) AND management won’t report your residence at their property to your nearest immigration office which is still a requirement even though certain farangs think they are above the law.
Thank you for the photos, @Kalboz. I'm unfamiliar with Bangkok, and they did a great job giving us a sense of the space. Love that pool. And love that Explorist scored you a handwritten note and gift.
Make it a suite with laundry.
Looks like a decent package for those staying with a Special Tourist Visa that was recently introduced for long term stay tourists. The lack of a suite is a deal breaker though.
We need more articles about Hyatt, its program, and its properties … and not less! This is to maximize our returns during this once in a lifetime event! For those who disagree, you have the right/power to click away!
Now, this is an awesome property with great staff, new rooms, amenities, and elite treatment. I believe you get stay/spend credits with this promo!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/albums/72157699313355740
I had the Executive physical at Bumrungrad twice over several visits to Asia, and it's very comprehensive. It takes half a day for all the tests and you get the results and consultation with a doctor at the end of the day.
Yes getting tired of every second post about Hyatt properties or Hyatt program vs nothing on Hilton Marriott etc. and certainly not at the range of depth and diversity the reality is their footprint is abysmal to be of any substantive value where if there is only a few properties at a destination the chance of getting a deal vs price is harder
It’s not too bad. A luxury 1 bed condo runs to B 50,000 pcm and up, although with vacancy rate of close to 20% at the moment, highly negotiable.
It’s pretty clear that Thailand will not reopen before mid ‘21, frantic calls for sooner by the hospitality sector notwithstanding.
Expect more of these creative offers as hotels put in place survival plans. While many of them are owned by the mega rich, including ‘the families’, even they are starting to hurt...
I have to say that this is an interesting offer.
I rent a condominium year round above the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Bigger space and much better views than the Hyatt Regency. On the other hand the perks at the Hyatt are amazing breakfast, lounge, laundry, food and beverage spending, etc.
I might ask them if one would qualify for all Hyatt bonus programs during the year and if suite upgrades could be used.
The company who owns the property is in a dire financial situation. Just saying it...
We get it, Hyatt made achieving Globalist easier for a lot of people. Does this somehow necessitate every other post being about Hyatt now? Not to mention the dilutional effect of continuing to harp on the subject.
@ Even -- I would have written about this regardless of what the hotel brand was (just as I wrote about the year-long package at an Anantara in the Maldives). Admittedly I do like Hyatt and write more about the brand than others, but in this case it was a coincidence.
I oversaw a corporate event at this hotel in 2019. It was top notch.
@ Ben -- The big fail on this was not offering it in a suite. I would go insane living in a hotel room for a year.