From Bangkok's airport at Suvarnabhumi [pronounced Su-wanna-poom] to The Atlanta Hotel

The easiest way to come to The Atlanta from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport is to take a public taxi.

Public Taxis from Suvarnabhumi Airport to The Atlanta Hotel

Follow signs for 'Taxis' which will lead you down to Floor/Level 1 and exit through Door/Exits 4 or 7 to the outside of the building where you will find the airport-approved taxi-stand. Public taxis at the airport have meters. You must insist and ensure that the meter is switched on. Politely but firmly refuse all requests or demands by desk attendants or taxi drivers for payment of a fixed fare or any other non-metered arrangement. If necessary, alight from the taxi and insist on the reassignment of another taxi whose driver is willing to use the meter. Please note that currently the flag falls at Bahts 35.- [just over one US dollar and just under one Euro]. The total journey time should be approximately 35 minutes, or longer depending on traffic conditions.

Please note that The Atlanta´s address is number 78, Soi 2, Sukhumvit Road. Soi means lane, so The Atlanta is number 78 in lane number 2, off the main street and thoroughfare called Sukhumvit. Make sure that the taxi desk attendant and driver understand that you are to be taken to Soi 2 (soy-song in Thai), NOT Soi 78!

The Atlanta is situated at the end of Sukhumvit soi 2, on the right, adjacent to a Baptist Church. Once you have turned into or cut through to soi 2 (sometimes cutting through the Ploen Chit Shopping Centre), you may wish to instruct your driver in Thai to proceed to the end of the soi. Say soy-song-soot-soy. This means lane 2, end of lane.

What should you be paying? The expected and legitimate meter readout for the journey from the airport to The Atlanta Hotel should range from Bahts 220.- to Bahts 260.-, depending on the prevailing traffic conditions and time of day. To this amount should be added Bahts 50 airport surchage (payable to the taxi driver on reaching The Atlanta) plus Bahts 70.- for highway tolls (payable en route), making the total amount of never more than Bahts 400.-

Warning: taxis with turbo-charged meters

There are confirmed reports of rogue taxi drivers operating vehicles with rigged meters. These illegal meters are controlled by the driver who may speed up the meter from a slow tick-over to turbo-charged increments. For most passengers and guests of The Atlanta, the turbo-charged meter remains a rare occurrence, but one about which they should know. Some of our guests have encountered inflated meter readouts ranging from Bahts 600.- through to Bahts 970.- for the journey from the airport to The Atlanta, and similarly inflated fares for shorter journeys within Bangkok.

What to do with a turbo-charged meter readout? If your meter reading is suspiciously high and you think that you may be a victim of a turbo-charged meter, remain calm. Do not alert the taxi driver that he has been rumbled. Make sure that the taxi reaches its destination directly outside The Atlanta, at the far end of Sukhumvit´s Soi 2. Remove your luggage from the taxi immediately, then make your excuses (such as you need to change your money for Thai currency) and summon help from the Reception staff at the hotel who will deal with the matter on your behalf. Never leave your luggage unattended in the taxi while dealing with a problem relating to fares.

Other scams

Arriving passengers should be aware of the presence of 'freelance' & 'independent' hotel and taxi or limousine touts who prowl on the loose within the arrival terminal on Floor/Level 2 of the airport, the level on which you will emerge after clearing Immigration and Customs. They may even be encountered one floor down, on Floor/Level 1, the gateway to the 'official' airport 'approved taxi' stand outside via Doors/Exits 4 & 7 on Floor/Level 1. These troublesome and persistent touts may try to intercept, solicit and divert you to one of their associated taxis, claiming to be an official representative of the airport taxi or limousine service, but nonetheless touting a highly inflated, non-metered fare for an inferior and dodgy service. Scams are also used to get you to switch to another hotel from which they receive commissions. Remain alert as these touts are often smartly dressed, wear bogus airport ID and hound passengers in limited to well practised English.

The AOT [Airports of Thailand] Limousine Service is the official airport limousine and minibus service provider. Their service counters are on Floor/Level 2 and elsewhere in the airport building. Their fares are fixed and much higher than public taxis but they use fine cars and are properly insured. The choice of whether to use the AOT Limousine Service or a public taxi is yours to make. The cost of a Nissan Teana 4-door sedan is Bahts 1100.- net.

Groups and large families that would otherwise require more than two taxis should opt for a minibus available through one of the AOT Limousine Service counters on Floor/Level 2. The Toyota Commuter minibus (or a Nissan equivalent) seats up to 10 passengers, fewer if group members are traveling with more than just carry-on hand luggage. The cost of a minibus is believed to be Bahts 1200.- net which makes it cheaper for a large family or group of friends to take than several public taxis.

The old airport bus service (route AE3) to downtown Sukhumvit (and elsewhere in the city) has been terminated as of June 2011.

The airport rail link to downtown Bangkok is a practical and economic transport option for you only if you have manageable luggage load or if there are fewer less than four of you travelling together [comparing the Railway Link plus Skytrain fare with the taxi fare] or if there is a pressing need to beat traffic congestion en route to The Atlanta.

Arriving airport passengers emerging onto Floor/Level 2 of the arrival terminal who opt for the Airport Rail Link should follow the signposts (variations of “Train to City Fl. B1”) by taking the elevator-lift or moving escalator-walkway to the terminal’s basement train ticket office and train embarkation lines. Passengers heading for The Atlanta should take the fast (17-minutes) Express Line train (best to avoid the slow, crowded & uncomfortable City Line train option) to the terminal station at Phaya Thai (avoid the half-finished & badly signposted Makkasan station). The fare for the Express Line train is Bahts 90.- one-way or Bahts 150.- for a 2-week return/roundtrip. Express Line trains currently depart Suvarnabhumi Airport for downtown Phaya Thai every hour on the half-hour (contrary to the train link’s website which has incorrect information).

After alighting at the Phaya Thai terminal station, you have three options:

1/ If you have luggage which you can carry for one kilometer, then take a BTS Skytrain from this inter-change at Phaya Thai (follow the signs to BTS), alighting from the BTS Skytrain at Ploen Chit station. The BTS Skytrain fare is Bhats 25.- from Phya Thai station to Ploen Chit station. Take the southeast staircase down to the street level. You will know you are taking the correct staircase if you see the Novotel on your right as you are descending the staircase. On reaching the street level, continue walking straight. Within a few seconds, you will find yourself walking under a huge expressway overpass, then crossing a railway line, then a street. Keep walking. Within less than 15 seconds, you will pass a McDonalds on your right, then you will find yourself at the corner of a lane. On the opposite side is the JW Marriott Hotel. That lane is Soi 2 Sukhumvit Road. Turn right and walk down to the end of the lane. You will find The Atlanta there. The total distance from the Ploen Chit station to The Atlanta is just under one kilometer. In the 60 years of The Atlanta's existence, this lane has always been safe day or night, at any time.

2/ If you have luggage you cannot carry for up to one kilometer, then you may consider this option. Take a BTS Skytrain from this inter-change at Phaya Thai (follow the signs to BTS), alighting from the BTS Skytrain at BTS Nana. The BTS Skytrain fare is Bahts 25.- from Phya Thai station to Nana station, which is one stop after Ploen Chit station. Descend to the street level on the Landmark Hotel side of Sukhumvit Road (signposted) and hail a taxi for the final leg (3-10-minutes) which should be no more that Bahts 41 on the meter.

3/ Take a public taxi from the ground floor taxi stand at Phaya Thai terminal station. The metered fare to The Atlanta should be in the range of Bahts 61 to Bahts 81, depending on prevailing traffic conditions. Caevat: most public taxis from this station refuse to turn on their meters and demand a one-off exorbitant fare of Bahts 200.- or more.