ASAI Bangkok Chinatown — a great-value design hotel steps from MRT Wat Mangkon
In a Yaowarat full of old shophouses and street food, ASAI Bangkok Chinatown is Dusit's newer design hotel pitched squarely at today's travellers — rooms that are small but cleverly designed, spotless and easy to live in, while the communal spaces, like the 4th-floor garden courtyard and the JAM JAM Eatery & Bar, are generous and full of life. Its biggest draw is the location: it's under a 2-minute walk to MRT Wat Mangkon, just steps off Yaowarat Road. From approx. THB 1,800/night.
ASAI is a newer brand from Dusit International, and Chinatown was its very first property when it opened in 2020. The idea is clear from the start — keep rooms compact but well-designed, then pour the leftover space into the communal areas. It's aimed at modern travellers who are out all day, come back only to sleep, and want a great location at a price that makes sense. The building sits on Charoen Krung Road in the Pom Prap district right beside Yaowarat, in a pared-back palette of light wood, green and exposed concrete that feels current without trying too hard.
Rooms range from the Comfy King and Comfy Twin at around 19 sqm up to the Biggy King Bunk at around 27 sqm, which adds bunk beds for families or groups of friends. To be clear, the rooms are small by design — but the layout is good enough that they don't feel cramped. The bed is comfortable, the rain shower has strong pressure, and the work desk has USB ports and just enough storage. One thing to know up front: the bathroom is shower-only, with no bathtub, and amenities are limited to shower gel and shampoo. If you want a toothbrush or shower cap, you ask at the front desk.
"The room was smaller than the photos suggested, but everything was laid out perfectly and it was spotless — best of all, you step out of the lobby and you're basically at the MRT entrance, so getting around was easy."
The heart of ASAI is its communal space. The 4th floor has a botanical garden courtyard, a quiet green corner to work or relax in — the thing guests say keeps the hotel from feeling like a sleeping box. Downstairs is the JAM JAM Eatery & Bar, serving Thai-Chinese fusion food and drinks in a half-café, half-bar space that works for daytime laptop sessions and evening drinks alike. There's a fitness room, but no swimming pool — worth knowing before you book if a pool is a must for you.
Location is the trump card here. The hotel is roughly 120 metres from the MRT Wat Mangkon entrance, under a 2-minute walk, so you can hop on the metro to Hua Lamphong, Sam Yan, Silom or Sukhumvit without risking the traffic. A few minutes further on foot brings you to Yaowarat Road and its legendary street food, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat (Leng Noei Yi) temple, and a maze of old lanes to explore. The trade-off is that this is an old, busy neighbourhood — narrow pavements, and the noise and food smells from the street carry into the night. If you want the clean, orderly feel of Sukhumvit, this area may not be for you.
Honestly, ASAI Bangkok Chinatown suits people who value location and value-for-money over room size. If you're visiting Bangkok, out the door early, relying on the metro, and want a clean, design-led hotel for under two thousand baht — it delivers nicely. A score of 9.0 from 1,473 Trip.com reviews and a TripAdvisor ranking of around #134 of 1,382 Bangkok hotels show most guests are happy. The grumbles that come up are occasional check-in mix-ups and inconsistent service, plus added parking charges — not dealbreakers, but worth knowing.
A tip from reading the reviews: if you're sensitive to noise, ask for a courtyard-facing room rather than a city-view room over the street, and if you're travelling as a group or with kids, the Biggy King Bunk is better value than booking two separate rooms. Using online check-in or the lobby self-check-in kiosks helps you skip the queue and avoid mix-ups at the desk. And save your big meals for the Yaowarat street food within walking distance — it's better value than eating in the hotel every time.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Superb location, under a 2-minute walk to MRT Wat Mangkon and Yaowarat street food
- ✓ Spotlessly clean rooms with a modern design and comfortable beds
- ✓ Great value — a real design hotel at a low price
- ✓ The garden courtyard and JAM JAM make the communal spaces a pleasure
- ! Rooms are small by the brand's concept
- ! Shower-only bathrooms, no bathtub
- ! Occasional minor check-in mix-ups
- ✓ Right by MRT Wat Mangkon, very easy to get around
- ✓ Clean, understated design that's well kept
- ✓ Mostly friendly and helpful staff
- ✓ Excellent value for a location in the heart of Chinatown
- ! No swimming pool
- ! Entry-level rooms are quite small, hard to fit large suitcases
- ! Added parking charges — ask up front if you're driving
- 💡If you want a spacious room or a bathtub — rooms here are small by design and shower-only → pick the Biggy King, or look at a higher-tier hotel in Sathorn/Sukhumvit instead
- 💡If you plan to lounge by a pool or spend the whole day in the hotel — there's no pool here, it's built as a base for getting out → if a pool is essential, look at a riverside or Sukhumvit hotel instead
- 💡If you're here for location and value near the MRT — this is one of the best picks in the area at this price → use online check-in to avoid desk mix-ups, and book ahead in high season