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Bangkok · Hotel shortlist

Cheap hotels in Ari, Bangkok

Ellie Brandt

Ellie Brandt Southeast Asia

Updated 1 August 2026 · 7 Bangkok hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Bangkok, out of the 7 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.6 down to 2.8.

Every one comes in under $130 a night, and the one I would book first is $19.

Arawana Express Sukhumvit 22

Highest rated of the five

Arawana Express Sukhumvit 22

★★★★★4.6 from 209 reviews

Arawana Express Sukhumvit 22 comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.6 from 209 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property, found under Ari and around $19 a night on the dates we checked.

7 hotels in Bangkok qualified for this list and five made it. Urban Pod Capsule Hotel is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip

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All five, ranked

  1. Arawana Express Sukhumvit 221

    Arawana Express Sukhumvit 22

    ★★★★★4.6 from 209 reviews

    • Air conditioning

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  2. Urban Pod Capsule Hotel2

    Urban Pod Capsule Hotel

    ★★★★★4.9 from 76 reviews

    • Bar
    • Air conditioning

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  3. Twenty Two Place Hostel - Sukhumvit 223

    Twenty Two Place Hostel - Sukhumvit 22

    ★★★★★2.8 from 52 reviews

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    • Roomquest Sukhumvit 36 @BTS Thonglor4

      Roomquest Sukhumvit 36 @BTS Thonglor

      ★★★★★3.3 from 211 reviews

      • Pool
      • Air conditioning

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    • V30 Sukhumvit Hotel5

      V30 Sukhumvit Hotel

      ★★★★★3.1 from 240 reviews

      • Air conditioning

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    How this list was put together

    7 Bangkok hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

    Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

    The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

    What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

    Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

    Ellie Brandt

    Ellie Brandt Southeast Asia

    Works weekends at an animal shelter and saves the pay for off-season flights. Hostels, night buses, and volunteering at animal sanctuaries for a bunk. Six countries in three years.

    Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.