fattman wrote:

AsiaWolfie wrote:

as certainly most of you know, ACCOR GROUP, led by those 2 old French Nazis, is the most homophobic big company in hospitality business on this planet.
they run IBIS, NOVOTEL, MERCURE, ALL SEASONS PLACE, SOFITEL and the such....

I would think twice before promoting their businesses.....

Seems unlikely, as one very senior member of management is openly gay, and they have a large number of gay employees.
What's your story on this then?

Totally true... lots of gay staff in novotel and sofitel hotels around teh world... as with most hotels...it never ceases to amaze me how many gay people choose to work in the travel or hospitality industry...

Not open yet, but the sign on the door does say, Open Soon.

I hear they did not pass building inspections. The old Chinese shop keeper that sits on a chair shirtless half in his shop and half in the street noticed that the LP gas was too close to the street and he reported it to the inspectors.  The plan was to hide it behind some doors but the old guy noticed them before they got them hidden.

The 7-11 on the corner is gone, gutted, I don't know the story or what's going in there. Been there for years.

There looks like there is going to be a outside cafe facing the Malaysia Hotel. I wonder if the police will be chasing off the trade that sits on the wall?  If not it offers a good view point to view what's on offer.

There's a huge awing just right for one of those tour buses that everyone thinks is going to be the mainstay of this hotel. The restaurant owners are not too happy about that. These tour groups arrive late, feed at the free breakfast trough, and are out in the early am.

The old Chinese guy is classic He and his sister are total scroungers and his shop is more like a recycling depot. They pick up all the cans and glass in the area. Keep their big SUV hidden on a side street. I love those dirty old Chinese shop houses....gives character to Bangkok

Krabbie.I hear that Ibis has done a lot of hiring..........maybe not in your BFs area.

I have to agree with another poster about Ibis Arcadia. The rooms were really S M A L L and there was a kind of diesel-oil-like stink in the hallways. However, the Ibis Tamarin was a wonderful place with swimming pool and comfortable beds and good sized rooms. I recommend it for anyone visiting Jakarta.

As for Ibis Bangkok, I walked by it today...still has a sign saying "opening soon". I'd guess "soon" means another two months or so.

I love the Pinnacle but...Is it me at age 62?...or...they seem to have switched the light bulbs so that the rooms are really dim! I bought my own office lamp to brighten up the place. The Ibis Arcadia and Tamarin did seem spare but they didn't stint on the lighting.

yaraboy wrote:

The old Chinese guy is classic He and his sister are total scroungers and his shop is more like a recycling depot. They pick up all the cans and glass in the area. Keep their big SUV hidden on a side street. I love those dirty old Chinese shop houses....gives character to Bangkok

He sells some news papers from a make-shift table, I see bottles of whiskey on a shelf and a lot of motor oil. The rest of what ever is in this shop is in brown unmarked boxes and sacks. I have never seen him in a shirt. He never says anything.

Walk down the soi and it's not long before you spot another shop with the old as dirt Chinese owner (no shirt) in shorts on a chair half in the street with a vacant look on his face.  

Many of them actually own the building and rent out rooms in the upper floors. You never see young guys running these shops. It's just a matter of time before they all die out.

Some of these Thai-Chi's originally bought these building in this area from the US Military in the Viet Nam era a discount prices when the US pulled out.

Trongpai...What did US Military use those buildings for?............I knew Malaysia was a popular hotel for R&R.  Yes, guess it will not be long before the kids turn shop houses into something modern. Unlikely that block will be developed as no significant landlord. Just bitchy Chinese who have petty feuds going on with each other.

yaraboy wrote:

Trongpai...What did US Military use those buildings for?............I knew Malaysia was a popular hotel for R&R.  Yes, guess it will not be long before the kids turn shop houses into something modern. Unlikely that block will be developed as no significant landlord. Just bitchy Chinese who have petty feuds going on with each other.

The two 5 story building behind the Malaysia were build by the US Army for housing but then started buying shop houses in the area for both office space and housing. Whore houses then sprung up in the area.

I learned most of this from a guy I met who was in the US army in the 60's and worked there. He was in charge of R and R transportation between Bangkok and Pattaya.

Another person who know some of the history of this area is Burt, the owner of Oh'O's Restaurant and the owner of Ledo's Restaurant, he's been there 26 years.

I understand the building at the entrance to sathorn soi 1 was the headquarters for one or more of the "secret wars". The corner gets extra security when the "alert" levels go up. Yeah, sri bum phen area was a popular area for US army/marines' R&R during the war, many of them at JUSMAG. There's still a little 60's rock culture bars left there like in many other parts of Bangkok.

The "Sri Bhum Phen Area" sports a few outdated and new sauna signs. You can still get a bag of ice at the other remaining 7/11 down at the end of Sri Bum Phen away from the Malaysia at Yen-Akat (Yen A Kard) Road AND then just-a-motorbike away TOPS supermarket (TOPS has expensive jelly-bellies now!) down to the other end of Yenakat past the area of schools, dental clinics, face massages and luxury condominiums.  There are lots of internet cafes all along Sri Bhum Penh. Gayromeo.com windows seem to be the favorite. Nearby along Nam Du Phli are numerous travel agents that might get you that ticket or hotel booking (J Travel). It's a good area for medium stays as there are apartments, cheap guest houses (the basic MoonHouse Restaurant and Room For Rent had a Dick's Cafe art show poster in its window), hotels (Vincents, Ibis, Malaysia, Pinnacle), laundry, outdoor/indoor food for breakfast or lunching couples just waking up (Trajai Steak House good for farang food), gay very friendly Mali and Oh-Ho (I hope I got that right) restaurants, many bakeries now, other local "canteen" stores. There is the very near Pantip Court Executive Apartments for those in Bangkok on expense account. Walk to BB, and 47 baht taxi to Silom from that area. There at least WAS an ATM next to the gutted 7/11. And watch 'after hours' places to relax if the regime changes again.

There seems to be some developement restriction in that area. As to the Ibis, What is it? 7 floors? The lack of a pool was presumably to accomodate parking and that will be a drawback, compared to the pool at the Malaysia. The sois just off Sri Bum Phen are now disasters in the way that always happens in Bangkok - that is there is some light developement "starting", maybe apartments and condos.

There's a new Bangkok Bank ATM right in front of the Malaysia.

JUSMAG is still operational but what they do is a misery to me. I do know that if your retired US military (I am not) your allowed in on Tue nights for BINGO.
Maybe that's just a cover name for some new covert operation?  

You forgot the Ledo Italian Restaurant, soi Sribumphen, across from Trajai.

I don't think there are any development hight restrictions but the first plan of Ibis was more than 7 floors but the plan was scaled down by Ibis.

The Joint United States Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG) is a misery to you? What did they do to deserve that? What's a misery to me is the endless traffic jams around there.

I guess 'misery' is like the 'Lido' Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria very worth mentioning along with the corner just-across-from-Lido Thai unenclosed restaurant/bar good prices.

Quote:

I understand the building at the entrance to sathorn soi 1 was the headquarters for one or more of the "secret wars".

Do you mean the LH Bank Building that also houses a branch of "Fatness Fast".  They did take ages to build it and it certainly looks like it houses Thailand's nuclear detterant, but if you look it up on Google Maps, you can see there is no sliding roof.

I drove past the new Ibis a couple of weeks back and the jam was caused (on this occasion) by the installation for their spirit house so they must be close to completion. Its difficult for me to understand why people get excited about the opening of an Ibis.

555 wrote:

Do you mean the LH Bank Building that also houses a branch of "Fatness Fast".

I think that's the other corner. A new "commercial" building. I'm pretty sure it was one of those that had to stop pouring concrete after '96 (or was it '97) and finished off recently.

I'm having a feeling the 7/11 might turn into a purse or lingerie store.

The 7-11 is going to just be a new(er) 7-11. The new sign went up today.
Thank heaven!

TrongpaiExpat wrote:

The 7-11 is going to just be a new(er) 7-11. The new sign went up today.
Thank heaven!

Careful...you'll upset Cedric.  He is known to prefer dark, dusty old shops full of expired and counterfeit products, to nice, bright, clean, efficient 7-11's.