INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit — a Spanish design hotel selling a glass-bottom sky pool right by BTS On Nut
If you want a stylish design hotel right on the BTS line without paving over your budget, INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit is a name that keeps coming up. It is the design brand of Spain's Meliá Hotels International, and this is its first property in Thailand — a 34-storey tower on Sukhumvit Road in the On Nut area that opened in July 2023. The headline feature is the glass-bottom infinity sky pool on the 34th floor, looking straight down over the city, plus a location just a 2-minute walk from BTS On Nut. Its 208 rooms start from approx. THB 2,800/night, with a score of 9.1 from 1,027 reviews on Trip.com.
INNSiDE is Meliá's design-led sub-brand, and this Bangkok property is its first in Thailand — opened in July 2023, so both the rooms and the systems are still brand new. The 34-storey tower holds 208 rooms styled in clean white tones offset by rose-gold furniture, with floor-to-ceiling windows. It is the kind of hotel guests describe as photogenic from every angle without needing to fuss over the lighting.
Location is what guests praise most. The hotel sits on Sukhumvit Road in the Phra Khanong area, about a 2-minute walk from the lobby to the BTS On Nut exit — hop on the Skytrain and you are quickly into the centre, or over to Thong Lor and Ekkamai. The streets around it are genuinely local: markets, rice-soup shops, coffee spots and a Tesco Lotus right by On Nut — so you eat and drink at normal Bangkok prices, not the tourist rates of the Nana–Asok strip.
"From the lift it is less than a two-minute walk to the BTS, so no matter how late you get back you are never hunting for a taxi — for anyone doing Bangkok entirely by Skytrain, this location really works."
The star of the show is right at the top. The glass-bottom infinity sky pool on the 34th floor looks straight down over the city, with the Giant Swing Pool Bar alongside it, flowing down to the LUZ Bangkok tapas bar on the 33rd floor serving Spanish food with a Thai street-food twist. The sunset view from up here is something reviews mention again and again. Kites Eatery on the 33rd floor handles Thai and international dishes and serves breakfast, which guests say is generous with a good spread of Thai options.
The standard INNSiDE Room and INNSiDE Corner run about 20 sq m — sized neatly for a couple or a solo traveller rather than for sprawling out. If you are travelling as a group or staying longer there are Connecting rooms (40 sq m) and The Townhouse 2-Bedroom (64 sq m). The recurring complaint is the bathroom: it is compact, the basin sits in an awkward spot, and a few guests have reported some water seepage in the rainy season. None of this is a deal-breaker, but go in knowing it — do not expect a true five-star bathroom here.
Honestly, INNSiDE markets itself as "5-star" on the group site, but in practice it feels more like a very good design-led midrange hotel than a full-blown luxury property. The service is genuinely good — staff are friendly and attentive, and the staff score is high across every platform — and the rooms are clean and new. But the room size and some of the finer details are still mid-tier. Understand that, view it as a beautiful sky pool and a BTS-side location starting in the high-two-thousands, and it is excellent value.
A tip drawn from the reviews: ask for a high floor on the city-view side — the night skyline is far better. To make the most of the pool, head up in the late afternoon through sunset, when it is quietest and the light is best. And if you come in high season (Nov–Feb), rates climb quickly, so book ahead and compare platforms rather than walking in.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Only a 2-minute walk to BTS On Nut — very easy to get around
- ✓ Glass-bottom sky pool on the 34th floor with great city views
- ✓ Rooms are new, clean and stylishly designed
- ✓ Friendly, attentive staff
- ! Bathrooms are fairly small with an awkwardly placed basin
- ! Standard rooms at 20 sq m are compact, best for two
- ! The On Nut area is quite local — those wanting downtown convenience may feel it is a bit out
- ✓ Right by BTS On Nut — straight onto the Skytrain
- ✓ Pool and upper-floor bar have lovely views, great for photos
- ✓ Generous breakfast with a good range of Thai dishes
- ✓ Good value for a new design hotel in the heart of Sukhumvit
- ! Some rooms have reported water seepage in the rainy season
- ! Lifts can mean a wait at peak times, as the F&B is on the top floors
- ! Not the full-blown luxury the 5-star label might lead you to expect
- 💡If you want a spacious room or a luxurious bathroom — standard rooms are just 20 sq m with a compact bathroom → choose a Connecting room/suite, or look at a hotel that prioritises room size.
- 💡If you want to stay in the middle of a walkable nightlife district — On Nut is a local area and you ride the BTS into the centre → if you want to walk to malls and bars, consider Siam or Thong Lor instead.
- 💡If you are coming mainly for the sky pool — the 34th-floor pool closes at times for weather and events → check with the hotel, and go up on a weekday afternoon-to-evening when it is quietest.