Petchkasem Grand Hotel — A Curved-Wing Block Around the Pool, the Surin Landmark Where the Town Holds Its Conferences and Weddings
Ask anyone in Surin which hotel counts as a town landmark and Petchkasem Grand Hotel is one of the first names you'll hear. The white, multi-storey curved-wing block wrapped around a swimming pool is visible from a distance as you drive into the centre. It's a long-established 154-room hotel with an on-site convention centre and banquet halls, which is why so many of the province's seminars, weddings and government conferences end up here. To be straight with you, the building is not new — but you get a central location, a pool, and a private balcony on almost every room, and for the money in Surin that's good value in its own way.
The thing that makes Petchkasem Grand easy to remember is the shape of the building. It's a tall, multi-storey structure laid out as two curved wings hugging the pool, with balconies stacked across the front so that most rooms come with a private balcony you can step out onto for some air. Inside there are around 154 rooms, making it one of the largest hotels in the city. Past guests say the rooms are usefully spacious — high ceilings, more floor space than you'd expect at this rate — and some are fitted out with wood headboards and elephant-pattern bedspreads that suit Surin, the elephant town. That said, a fair bit of the furniture is original and looks its age.
The centrepiece is the outdoor pool sitting between the two wings. It's a square, blue-tiled pool with an elephant-procession relief on the water-feature wall behind it, framed by greenery — leafier and more sheltered than you'd guess for a hotel this central. There's a separate children's pool for families, and several reviews note that by late afternoon the building shades the water nicely, so the kids enjoy it. Beyond the pool, the hotel has an in-house restaurant, a 24-hour front desk, luggage storage, and free on-site parking, which makes life easy if you're arriving by car.
What sets Petchkasem Grand apart from the smaller places in town is the on-site convention centre and banquet halls. There are meeting rooms in several sizes plus a ballroom that can take large functions, so the seminars, government training sessions and weddings of Surin tend to gather here. The upside of being an events hotel is generous public space, plenty of parking, and staff used to handling big groups. The trade-off is that when a major function is on, the lobby and lifts can get busy — so if you're just visiting for leisure, it's worth checking with the hotel whether anything large is booked for your dates.
One guest who came for a provincial conference recalls a room that was "bigger than expected, with the balcony looking onto the pool — you could go down for a morning swim before the sessions started," at a price that stayed easy on the wallet: an older hotel, but kept up well enough.
The location is central Surin, on Jitbamrung Road. It's about a 10-minute walk to Surin Plaza and Wat Burapharam in the middle of town, and it sits close to the Surin bus station — a quick tuk-tuk or motorbike-taxi hop from where the long-distance coaches drop you. Surin railway station is a few minutes away by road too, handy if you're arriving on the northeastern line. The streets around the hotel have restaurants, coffee shops and an evening market, so finding something to eat is no trouble. For the elephant grounds during the Elephant Round-up, or out to Sikhoraphum sanctuary, the central position makes the drive out simple.
Its Trip.com score sits at 7.4/10, which honestly reflects what this is: good value but dated. What guests praise is the spacious rooms, the central location, the pool, and the value. What gets flagged most is the ageing building and bathrooms — some rooms show wear on the tiling or fittings, and a few reviews mention a slightly musty room or hot water that's slow to arrive in the morning. Several reviewers suggest asking to see the room first if you can, because the condition isn't uniform across the property. Put plainly, you come here for the location and the price, not for new-build polish — worth knowing so you set the right expectations.
Pricing starts around ฿750/night for a Deluxe room on an ordinary weekday, which is very cheap for a room with a balcony, a pool, and parking on site. The roomier VIP rooms and suites still land in the low thousands. During the Surin Elephant Round-up (late November), or when a big conference or wedding is on, rooms fill quickly and rates climb — it's a high-room-count hotel that gets booked out in blocks — so for those dates, reserve at least a month ahead.
Short version: Petchkasem Grand suits anyone who wants a spacious room, a central location and a pool on a budget, and isn't fussed about the building being old. It works for conference and training visitors to the province, families who want a pool for the kids, and travellers breaking up an Isan trip. If you want something newer for a similar budget, compare it with the Surin Majestic next to the bus station. But for sheer room size, a balcony on every room, and the standing of a town hotel that can host an event — Petchkasem Grand still has its place in Surin.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Spacious rooms with balconies — more space than the price
- ✓ Central location, walk to Surin Plaza, close to the bus station
- ✓ Outdoor pool plus a separate children's pool
- ✓ Free parking, 24-hour front desk, can handle large functions
- ! Building and furniture show their age
- ! Some bathrooms have visible wear
- ! Lobby and lifts get busy when a big event is on
- ✓ Curved-wing block around the pool; rooms open onto the pool
- ✓ Large hotel, staff used to handling big groups
- ✓ Near Wat Burapharam, the evening market and town restaurants
- ✓ Budget rates — handy for conferences and training in the province
- ! Room condition isn't uniform — ask to see the room if you can
- ! Rooms fill fast and rates rise during the November Elephant Round-up
- ! Hot water can be slow some mornings when usage peaks
- 💡If room newness matters to you — this is an older hotel built around value and location, and condition varies room to room → if you can, ask to see the room first or request a recently refreshed one for better condition
- 💡If you're visiting during the Surin Elephant Round-up (November) or a big event — that's when rooms fill fastest and rates peak → book at least a month ahead and always compare Agoda, Booking and Trip before you commit
- 💡If you want the quietest, roomiest option — request a pool-side room or a VIP room/suite away from the event zone and lobby → during banquets the ground floor and lifts get busier than usual