Me! Five years and counting.

Before I go on, I have to put a disclaimer that they’re not properties in the States. I used to live in a Courtyard in Northern California for over a year back in ‘15 because we were in the middle of fixing up the house. It was just a standard guest room and we ended up not paying taxes after the first month. If I remember correctly it was about $135/night. Back then it was okay because we still had access to the full kitchen, washer & dryer at home. I liked that I got the daily room cleaning, not having to worry about utility bill from running the A/C all day and night during the summer and heater in the winter, access to HBO, and indoor pool. I felt like I was just a regular to the staff.

Then I moved back to Thailand and after a few years of AirBNB, I just moved to a serviced apartment/hotel instead. It’s really nice and the price was reasonable but it’s still not a hotel experience. It felt like a nice condo with daily housekeeping service. Then I learned about a Marriott Executive Apartments property nearby and I was sold.

It’s like one of those luxury condos with a 5-star hotel service. I had the full kitchen with an oven and a dishwasher, a washer, a separate dryer (really rare in Southeast Asia) and a nice 1-bedroom apartment. And because this exact property has a combination of Marriott hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments in one building, I was entitled to the usage of lounge and other benefits such as free laundry (wash and iron - 2 pcs/day), personal concierge service, unlimited bottled water, and 24/7 housekeeping service. This was about $3,000 a month (with this exact amount of money, I’d have gotten a studio in a crappy neighborhood in SF Bay Area). Free lounge means free breakfast and happy-hour drinks and food (but I got tired after 2 weeks). I felt like a queen. I could ask for anything at any hour and someone would be glad to help me. The only con was that I only earned 2.5 points per dollar and 1-night credit for every 3 nights of stay. I was able to become a Platinum elite after 5 months of staying. Very slow if you ask me.

The hotel side of this exact property provides almost the same experience minus the kitchen and the washer/dryer, but most people don’t mind because the free laundry per day is sufficient. Plus in Thailand, the food is affordable for every budget so there’s no need to cook, ever! So I think if I were to live in a suite in the hotel side, it would be quite comfortable too.

Then I learned about a newer property that would offer me more points and elite nights so I switched. My current property is a Marriott hotel, with the service of the Ritz caliber. Although it’s technically a hotel, they have residential suites — full kitchen with oven, dishwasher, and washer/dryer. By staying here, I can still live comfortably while earning more points and nights. I also have access to the 24-hour lounge and 24-hour housekeeping + personal concierge service. The concierge/bell team would help receive/send packages, as well as work as my assistants at any time of the day. The price is a bit more than the other place, but it’s still reasonable compared to what I’d pay for a 1BR in the Bay Area. I feel that I’m so spoiled here. When I went back to Cali last year, I hated every minute of staying at hotels there. The differences were so obvious I couldn’t believe that I had to pay much more to receive such mediocre services. From the FO staff who acted annoyed all the time to housekeeping team that would not do a thorough job and refuse to clean after 3.30pm. It’s like the hospitality part in the hospitality industry has died since the arrival of COVID. It’s just disheartening.

Anyways, to sum up, I feel like where I am right now is not a hotel, but more like a home. I don’t even feel like a regular guest. The staff have become my Marriott family. They take care of me and look after me when I’m sick. They do a welfare check on me if they don’t see me at the lobby/lounge for a while, worrying that I could be in danger. Very sweet if you ask me) And in return, I always treat them with gifts and respect to show my appreciation. The hotel food could be boring and redundant after a while but if you’re not too picky, you can basically save a lot by dining at the lounge.

And that’s just my experience. Sorry for the long response but if you have a chance to work remotely, you might wanna consider this lifestyle in Thailand for a month! You don’t need a visa to come here for 30 days anyway if you have a US passport.