I am wondering if maybe some of these 5-star places haven't priced themselves out of the market? I have been researching 5,4, and 3-star hotels in BKK for the last couple of days, and I fail to see in many cases, where a little extra glitz and glamor warrants a 4000-8000 THB rate, as opposed to 2000-3000 BHT rooms.

Think about it...most tourists simply use BKK as a jumping off place, and soon head to other parts. But for those who stay in BKK for a while, who is going to spend their days in the hotel or hotel room? Besides that, a fancy restaurant is no "plus" in my book. I believe most folks would rather find a local restaurant.

Business travelers are a different story, but I don't think they are accounted for in this discussion.

I have found several 3-star hotels with restaurant and pool. I am not going to go that route, but 4-star is a definite maybe. To some extent you DO get what you pay for. However, 5-star is also out. Besides, the star-rating system is usually a self-rating system, and you will find that a lot of places think mighty highly of themselves in this respect. Too bad BKK's hotels are not rated by an independent company. THAT would tell a story!