List of Bangkok airport hotels to wait out the ash cloud drama.
As the unprecedented ash cloud from the erupting Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull continues to disrupt air traffic into and out of many parts of Europe, including France, Germany and Holland, the buildup of stranded passengers around the world grows.
As well as playing havoc with passengers flying within Europe, a lot of travelers who have come to the end of their vacation are finding that they cannot travel home and are effectively “stranded” at their holiday destination.
Among the Asian carriers that have canceled flights to Europe were Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Thai Airways and China Airways of Taiwan.
Thai Airways alone has had to cancel nine out of 13 routes to Europe, that is, Bangkok-London, Bangkok-Frankfurt, Bangkok-Copenhagen, Bangkok-Oslo, Bangkok-Stockholm, Bangkok-Zurich, Bangkok-Munich, Bangkok-Paris, Bangkok-Milan. However, THAI continues to operate to four destinations that have not been restricted, that is, Bangkok-Rome, Bangkok-Madrid, Bangkok-Athens, and Bangkok-Moscow.
Thai Airways had announced the resumption of regular flights plus a number of special additional flights to Madrid and Rome from Tuesday April 20th, but then issued another press release later the same day announcing that “Due to uncontrolled situation change at Rome and Madrid airports, the planned TEMPORARY additional flights have been put on hold until further notice.”
While holiday makers in Thailand could have it worse, (well they ARE “stuck” in a tropical paradise), bunking down at the airport and waiting for a flight to open is not anyone’s ideal way to end a vacation, regardless of how new and shiny the airport is or the quality of the lounge you have access to.
For people who are not stretched for time and/or cash, the best solution would be to escape down to one of the islands, like Phuket, Samui or Ko Chang for a week or so and wait for the crisis to blow over (sorry for the pun 
). Doing this would also help you avoid the political protests and unrest that is happening now in Bangkok.
See map of Bangkok protests here.
Unfortunately the reality for most people is that they have to get on the first flight available to get on with their lives. Jobs and families and responsibilities are waiting. You want to get the latest flight change information as soon as possible, but waiting around the airport is totally frustrating.
Perhaps a combination of staying at a hotel near Bangkok airport and using an application like TripIt Pro could provide a good solution. TripIt Pro provides itinerary monitoring and travel alerts, sending text messages about flight delays, cancellations and gate changes. Also proving information on alternate flights and offering options for any flight problem, including flight status and open seats. It costs USD69 a year but there is a 30 free trial period, which should be long enough for the ash cloud drama to clear up.
Ok, but what about hotels near Bangkok airport? Check out the list below of 14 hotels within 20 minutes of Bangkok airport that still have rooms available at the time of writing this post (Tuesday night). The hotels are listed in order of closest to the airport to the furthest. Rates listed were quoted for the cheapest room for stays this week.
Novotel Suvarnabhumi Hotel USD151
Best Western Premier Amaranth Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel USD79
Convenient Resort USD18
Flora Shine Resort USD22
Baan Chay Namn Resort USD 23
The Paragon Inn USD 33
Miracle Hometel Hotel USD 54
Thong Ta Resort & Spa USD 21
Regent Suvarnabhumi Hotel USD 34
Grand Inn Come Hotel USD 44
The Ivory Suvarnabhumi Hotel USD 32
Silver Gold Garden USD 22
The Residences Airport & Spa USD 27
Summit Pavilion USD 25
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