Review of Avani Plus Riverside Bangkok Hotel 5*

On the final day of our honeymoon, we checked into the hotel and were immediately greeted by a staff member who, instead of confirming the details of our reservation, asked us to participate in a survey to get coupons for the resort (this is a timeshare scam). I politely declined as we were staying one night and did not need coupons for activities. Another woman proceeded to check our reservation. She asked if we would like breakfast, and we did, so she added it, and also recommended that we add the AVANI Club membership for a nominal fee (this included unlimited food and drink/free happy hour, so we added it). The timeshare pushing was annoying, but problems ensued from that point on: Issue #1: The woman who checked us in asked for a card for incidentals. I gave her my debit card, accidentally, to which she promptly charged $100. She came back saying that it was a mistake and that she needed my credit card. I gave her my credit card and asked that the $100 to my debit card be refunded immediately. More on this later. Issue #2: Our room was spacious and clean, but we heard what sounded like two people yelling through the paper thin walls. We noticed that there was an odd door on the wall and we stood by it. The people next to use must have heard and then OPENED the door into our room. It was two teenagers "fighting over who could have the bigger bed", they explained as we awkwardly stood together in OUR ROOM. We asked for a new room immediately. Issue #3: There is absolutely NOTHING around this hotel. As we exited to try to get some food at a mall (only thing across the river), we were hounded in the elevator by a doorman shilling timeshares. The check-in… I understand that that might be how they make commissions. In the elevator? This is marketed as a high-end hotel, so I thought. Issue #4: When we went to the rooftop bar to get some drinks, we had a good time… until we had to pay for the drinks. The concierge informed me that I had not given a credit card to charge items to the room. Strange… as the woman took both my debit and credit cards when we checked in. We talked to the manager, who said that she never processed my credit card. I asked what she did with it in the time she was away, and he said he would follow up with her… we never heard back about this employee. Anyway, this wasn't a very nice end to our last evening on our honeymoon. Issue #5: As we sit down to breakfast the next morning, the staff informs us that we have not purchased breakfast with our room. We clearly added it during check in, as it said "+ breakfast" on our check-in sheet; however, the woman that checked us in only added us to the AVANI Club, which is just the pantry food in the lobby. I would have let this go, but too many annoyances had already occurred. They ended up giving us breakfast for free (they did not, as I now, one month later, have been charged for it). Issue #6: At the end of our stay, we check out and explain that the service was absolutely horrendous for a "high end" hotel experience. They offered to get rid of our extra charges (AVANI Club, breakfast, and drinks), but I have been charged for these since, as they kept my credit card information on file, apparently. I would love to talk to management about my experience. Pay the extra $50 and stay at the Shangri-La across the river, or better yet, avoid this area entirely and stay downtown.