ASAI Bangkok Chinatown

• Dusit-run ASAI hotel on Charoen Krung Road
• Wat Mangkon MRT about 100 m away (Dusit)
• Comfy 20 m2 and Roomy 23 m2 queen rooms
• JAM JAM Eatery & Bar with buffet breakfast
• Courtyard hub for eating and working

Essentials

ASAI Bangkok Chinatown is a small-room, big-common-space hotel run by Dusit, at 531 Charoen Krung Road at the edge of Yaowarat. Dusit’s opening announcement put the Wat Mangkon MRT station about 100 m away, so the train is a short walk rather than a taxi job.

That matters in Chinatown, where the main roads are congested and the lanes are narrow. From here the MRT Blue Line carries you to Sanam Chai for the temples and to Hua Lamphong for the main railway station without touching the traffic.

Overview

The rooms are deliberately compact: Dusit’s announcement calls them “thoughtfully compact” and gives 18 to 22 m2. On the hotel’s website, Comfy rooms are 20 m2 with a queen bed, and Roomy rooms are 23 m2 with a queen bed and a window-side lounge table. Both look onto the courtyard or the city. Roomy Triplex rooms have three individual beds and a city view. Each room has a fridge, a safe, a 43-inch Smart TV and a high-pressure shower.

The idea is that the room is for sleeping and the building does the rest: a courtyard “Community Hub” for eating, working and meeting people, and a neighbourhood bar. For a longer stay that works if you travel light and like to be out. If you plan to spend whole days indoors, or you need space to unpack a large suitcase, a bigger room elsewhere will feel less tight.

Among the Chinatown options in hotels in Chinatown, Pratunam and the old city, ASAI is the one built around the shared space rather than the room.

Tip: Ask for a courtyard-view room if you want a quieter night than the street side of Charoen Krung Road can give, and book Roomy over Comfy if the extra 3 m2 and the lounge table matter to you.

Food and drink

JAM JAM Eatery & Bar

The hotel’s restaurant serves contemporary Thai-Chinese sharing plates, with a buffet breakfast each morning. Dusit describes it as a cosy living room, neighbourhood bar, co-working area and hangout in one, and the dishes are meant to be shared across the table.

That makes it an easy first dinner after arrival, with no walk through the evening market crowds. The hotel also runs a happy hour here, and it is a handy spot for a drink after a day on your feet.

For something more local, the hotel’s website points to the markets, street food and bars of Chinatown around it.

Amenities

Amenities are simple. The courtyard is the main shared space, with seating for eating, working and relaxing. Dusit’s announcement also described a fitness centre and an organic garden among the shared spaces.

In the room you get free, fast Wi-Fi, a refrigerator, a safe and universal sockets, which suits a longer stay where you charge several devices. The nearby MRT station is the practical way to get around, and the hotel’s phone line is the quickest way to ask about laundry or luggage help.