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Bangkok · Hotel shortlist

Cheap hotels in the historic centre, Bangkok

Ellie Brandt

Ellie Brandt Southeast Asia

Updated 1 September 2026 · 20 Bangkok hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Bangkok, out of the 20 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.7 down to 4.5.

Every one comes in under $130 a night, and the one I would book first is $13.

Ban Thungdang Housetel Bangkok

Highest rated of the five

Ban Thungdang Housetel Bangkok

★★★★★4.7 from 265 reviews

Ban Thungdang Housetel Bangkok comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.7 from 265 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 3 star property, found under city centre and around $13 a night on the dates we checked.

20 hotels in Bangkok qualified for this list and five made it. RALPH Bangkok 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
  • Airport shuttlethe first hour after landing solved

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All five, ranked

  1. Ban Thungdang Housetel Bangkok1

    Ban Thungdang Housetel Bangkok

    ★★★★★4.7 from 265 reviews

    • Air conditioning
    • Airport shuttle

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  2. RALPH Bangkok2

    RALPH Bangkok

    ★★★★★4.7 from 250 reviews

    • Air conditioning

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  3. The_Lol Elephant Hostel3

    The_Lol Elephant Hostel

    ★★★★★4.8 from 339 reviews

    • Air conditioning

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  4. ISSARA by d HOSTEL BANGKOK4

    ISSARA by d HOSTEL BANGKOK

    ★★★★★4.5 from 361 reviews

    • Restaurant
    • Air conditioning
    • Airport shuttle

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  5. Born Free Hostel5

    Born Free Hostel

    ★★★★★4.5 from 309 reviews

    • Restaurant
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

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How this list was put together

20 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.