137 Pillars House ChiangMai

Our stay at this hotel was unfortunately one of the more disappointing hospitality experiences we have encountered. From the moment the check-in process began, the atmosphere felt awkward and strained. Very little about the process felt smooth or welcoming. After a well-presented tour of the beautiful hotel grounds, we were excited to settle into our room, only to discover that the air conditioning was not functioning properly. An engineer was sent to repair it, but the issue was never fully resolved and persisted throughout our stay. The spa experience, which should have been a highlight at an upscale property, was awkward and painful. The welcome consisted of a warm drink in the reception area followed quickly by entry into a couples massage room that felt poorly equipped and far below the standards we expected. The staff rarely smiled and did not address the areas of concern we had outlined beforehand. During the facial portion of the treatment, one therapist pressed a cotton pad soaked with astringent directly to my partner’s eye causing severe burning, claiming it was standard procedure—something we have never experienced in any spa treatment. When the manager asked for feedback, we were honest about our experience. The response was a 10% discount, which felt like it missed the point of the concern. Dinner at the property’s restaurant was another disappointment. The dishes were poorly prepared and one had to be returned due to extreme spice despite specifically requesting the opposite. We also paid $170usd for a bottle of wine that we later discovered sells for roughly $20 elsewhere. Ironically, the same restaurant delivers a wonderful breakfast experience. The morning team was cheerful, attentive, and clearly takes pride in their work. If anything, management would do well to build their staff culture around this team. The final interaction at checkout unfortunately summed up the experience. After settling our bill and walking to our car, we were stopped and asked to redo the entire credit card payment because housekeeping reported a missing bag of M&Ms from the room. Considering the amount spent during our stay, it felt unnecessary and petty. A complimentary bag of M&Ms would not have been an unreasonable gesture. There is clearly potential here given the beautiful property and the excellent breakfast team. However, significant improvements are needed in service culture, guest experience, and attention to detail. Sadly, this is not a hotel we plan to return to.