Tohsang City Hotel — Ubon's First-Generation Hotel With a Breakfast That Brings People Back
Ask anyone in Ubon which hotel has been part of the city longest and Tohsang tends to come up first. It opened back in 1992 as Tohsang Ubon Hotel — one of the province's first full-service hotels — before rebranding to Tohsang Heritage in 2021. What guests keep returning to isn't a pool (there isn't one) but the local Isan breakfast buffet and the handmade crafts from Ubon artisans scattered through every room: the rugs, the bed runners, the cushions, all made by hand.
Tohsang opened in 1992 as one of the first hotels in Ubon to offer full facilities by the standards of the day. It was upgraded steadily over the years, rebranded as Tohsang Heritage in 2021, then given a major renovation in 2022. The building is a three-storey block in the city centre, fronted by a long run of Isan-style timber-slatted balconies — from the street it reads immediately as something other than a generic chain. There are around 50 rooms, split between 25 sqm Superior and Deluxe rooms, 28 sqm Grand Deluxe rooms with a balcony, and a 48 sqm King Suite with a separate sitting area.
What sets Tohsang apart from similarly priced hotels in town is the decor, made in collaboration with local craftspeople. The hotel calls its own style contemporary-vintage — wood floors, dark teak trim, comfortable beds — then layers on handwoven rugs, bed runners and Isan-pattern cushions commissioned from artisans in the province. Small touches like the rattan basket of welcome flowers left on the desk are the kind of thing guests end up photographing for their reviews. It isn't a luxury room, but the intent behind it is tangible.
Guests describe: "The breakfast was the best they tried anywhere in Thailand on this trip — a wide selection of choices, and they even had fresh noodle soup made to order."
The real headline here is the breakfast buffet. Served 07:00–10:00 in the ground-floor restaurant, it covers the usual hotel Western options alongside local Isan dishes that are genuinely hard to find at this price level. Reviews on Trip.com and TripAdvisor agree that breakfast is the highlight of a stay, with several guests calling it the best they had on their Isan trip. If you book a room rate without breakfast included, the buffet runs around ฿290 per person and can be added at the time of booking.
The location works in your favour if you're flying in. Ubon Ratchathani Airport is only about 4 km away, a 10-minute drive, and the train station is roughly 5 km out. Cafes and restaurants are a few minutes' walk away, while Thung Si Mueang park, the City Pillar Shrine and the main downtown temples sit within a short drive. Anyone coming for the Candle Festival in July will find it handy, since it's close to the procession route.
The Trip.com score sits at 8.5/10 from 49 reviews, with 3.9/5 on TripAdvisor (ranked 6th of 28 hotels in the city). Guests consistently praise the breakfast, the cleanliness and the attentive staff. The honest caveats worth flagging: aircraft noise when flights are taking off or landing, given the proximity to the airport, and a few older reviews that criticised some furniture for showing its age. After the 2022 renovation most rooms have improved, but land in a not-yet-updated room and you may still notice the years.
One thing to know before booking — there is no swimming pool. If your trip needs a pool for the kids or an evening swim, Tohsang won't deliver that. But if your priorities are a central location, a strong breakfast and easy parking (free on-site, with an EV charging point), it's strong value for the price. There's a restaurant, a bar, meeting rooms, and staff who handle Thai, English and Lao — useful given how many guests cross over from the Lao side of the border.
The bottom line: Tohsang City Hotel suits travellers who want a central Ubon hotel with actual character rather than a chain box, at a low-thousand-baht rate. The draws are the much-talked-about Isan breakfast, the local craftwork in the rooms, and the short hop to the airport — traded against the lack of a pool and an older building in places. If you want the largest, quietest room, the 48 sqm King Suite or an inner-facing room away from the runway line is the one to ask for.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Excellent breakfast buffet with plenty of local Isan dishes
- ✓ Clean rooms and comfortable beds
- ✓ Attentive, friendly staff handling several languages
- ✓ Free on-site parking with an EV charging point
- ! Aircraft noise when flights are taking off or landing
- ! No swimming pool
- ! Some furniture shows its age in not-yet-renovated rooms
- ✓ Contemporary-vintage design with local craftwork throughout
- ✓ Central location, 10-minute drive from the airport
- ✓ On-site restaurant open for both lunch and dinner
- ✓ Walking distance to Thung Si Mueang and the City Pillar Shrine
- ! Building has age — some corners still feel dated
- ! No pool and limited fitness facilities
- ! Runway-side rooms hear aircraft more clearly
- 💡If noise sensitivity matters — ask for an inner-facing room away from the runway line when booking → some sides hear aircraft clearly when flights take off or land, especially mornings and evenings
- 💡If you need a pool — there isn't one → if your trip requires a swim or kids' splash time, choose elsewhere, but for location and breakfast Tohsang is better value at this price
- 💡If you want the best room condition — request a room from the 2022 renovation at booking → the updated rooms are clearly in better shape, while some original rooms still have dated furniture