“The five-star Dusit Thani (from 4,700 baht, at 30 baht to $1; dusit.com) is a true Thai hotel, owned and still run by an 82-year-old named Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui. It looks kind of like a seventies Holiday Inn high-rise, but inside it’s very, very nice.” —John D. Kasarda, Author
“Each suite in the new Hansar (from 7,500 baht; hansarhotels.com) is decorated like an apartment, and the restaurant has great cocktails. That’s where I’d go to party. For privacy, I’d pick the Praya Palazzo (from 10,000 baht; prayapalazzo.com), a riverside mansion that’s now a seventeen-suite boutique hotel. The only way to get there is by boat.” —Nulek Yongsakul, Hotelier
“I like the service at the St. Regis (pictured, from 7,300 baht; starwoodhotels.com). Every guest gets a butler, and the hotel can arrange for fast-track privileges at Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is famed for congested lines at immigration. Or, for something much cheaper, Lub D (from 480 baht per bed; siamsquare.lubd.com): It’s the coolest hostel in town, with a minimal-industrial design and lots of raw cement, metal, and bright colors.” —Top Koaysomboon, Writer, BK Magazine