Well were do I start, the web site for the hotel looks great but I was so so disappointed. I was looking forward to going to what is meant to be Asias biggest gay complex under one roof, what a dissappointment.
I booked the biggest suite and car transfer direct with hotel, I arrived at airport and waited over one hour and then telephoned the hotel who just said that they had no car avaiable and I should take taxi, I asked why they did not telephone me or email me and they simply had a dont care less attitude. Ok I put this behind me cause errors can happen, I arrived at the hotel and was told that the night club, cafe and massage parlour was closed but they can serve Thai only food, GREAT I booked this hotel for the entertainment and they have nothing going on, I again asked why they did not email me with this information and the manager just shook her head with a dont care less attitude and then the staff spoke in Thia and just laughed at me.
I was then taken to what was meant to be the biggest and best and most exspensive room and quite honestly it was of 1 star qulity if that at all. I then asked to look at a standard room with was less than half the price and I could not tell the differance in the two rooms. I decided to check out.
The hotel is not in a good location and there is nothing much around, the staff are rude and the interior of the hotel is really dated, shabby and of dirty appearance. The swimming pool is also small and dirty and I dont think I would of used it if I had of stayed. The gym was also closed at the time of my arrival.
I am a seasoned traveller and am realistic with prices and accomodation but on this occasion am dissappointed with the lack of customer care and really want to advise fellow travellers to really look into this hotel as it could ruin your trip.
I then browsed the net and found www.lotus-hotel.com (Lotus Hotel) and thank goodness that when one door closes a better one opens. This hotel was half the price of Lavender Lanna and what great personal service that the staff and managment offer. The rooms are spacious, clean and compfortable, the in house food is tasty and realistically priced and best of all your within walking distance to many bars, massage and go go bars. I would strongly recommend that you visit The New My Way Bar and also Circle Bar which are both within safe walking distance. Adams bars is directly opposite the Lotus but I was not keen on the pushy amercican management who just push guys on you. Circle bar very proffessional show and elegent surroundings to enjoy an evening.
I hope this review helps you and I mean no malice to Lavender Lanna, I simply report the facts on my arrival.

The service was above average but not delightful. The staff seemed quite laidback.

My first room was a budget room. It was poorly maintained. Some lights were not working. The bathroom was quite grimy and really small. No matter what I did, I couldn't get hot shower. The walls had dirt patches. But the old air-conditioning worked fine and the bed was surprisingly comfy. There's no safe in room. The cable TV had a wide selection. I loved watching the scifi channel.

At a price, I was given an upgraded room for my second night. It was bigger and better maintained. The window view were nice. Still no safe in the room. The cable TV had transmission problems. Didn't get to see my favourite scifi channel. The decor was kinda slapdash in my opinion. To me, the room was overpriced.

The signal for free wifi (internet) was very poor in the rooms. Had to do all my surfing in the reception/lounge/restaurant for better connection. During my second night, the wifi service was down indeterminately (to my utter disappointment as I was looking out for alternative hotels to stay).

The reception, lounge and restaurant were tastefully decorated. Breakfast was okay. If you're afraid of dogs, be aware that there's a pet dog running around the reception area.

The swimming pool was okay and kinda nice. Dunno how often it's been cleaned. The swimming pool area looked new. The steam room was not operating at all. Occupants of the next building could see the swimming pool area. Privacy is limited.

I actually quite liked the massage at this hotel. There's no cubicles. The lower level hotel rooms were used for massages. The plumbing in the bathroom wasn't very good.

Although there's a big sign out front advertising the PowerBoys, this bar was closed indefinitely. I was told by the staff that it was under renovation. Rumour has it that the PowerBoys will be relocating out of the hotel. If you intend to visit the PowerBoys, check with the hotel first.

The location was okay. Personally, I didn't quite like it. The traffic out front was almost always busy. Although you can see the moat and old city across the hotel, the gates were quite a distance away. If you intend to spend a lot of time at Kad Suan Kaew (Central Mall), it's within walking distance. Otherwise, it's better to take a tuktuk. Some drivers don't know Lavender Lanna but they do know it by it's old name, Sri Tokyo. I love walking and this location doesn't suit me entirely.

Lavender Lanna has been advertised as a "gay" hotel. On the contrary, I believed it's becoming more mainstream and gay-friendly instead of straight-friendly. GLBTs may want to take this into consideration. I had difficulty making my reservation prior to my arrival and the correspondence was incomplete and delayed.