Amenity Kit Review: Thai Airways Royal Silk Business Class (November 2011)

Fellow blogger Daraius over at Million Mile Secrets very generously donated several amenity kits to me from his and Emily’s recent Star Alliance trip, and this is one of them. I previously reviewed Thai Airways’ First Class kit and here now is my review of their Royal Silk Business Class offering. For a better description of each category, and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introduction post here.

a small orange pouch on a brown surfacea group of travel items on a couchBag/Container: My first impression of the bag was “Wow!†From the metallic copper color to the sturdy textured vinyl, this zipper bag is stunning, in my opinion. It’s well manufactured, includes a leather finger handle and holds its shape empty very well. The Thai Airways brand is well represented with a logo on the exterior, interior and zipper pull. Above the interior logo of the single compartment bag reads, “With Compliments From…†There is also a very small fabric tag sewn into the side opposite the handle with Erb’s logo. Reusability is medium to high, so Thai did well in this category. Score: 6

Skin Care: Thai partnered with Erb to provide the skin care items in this kit. Not having heard of them before, I discovered on their website that the company was founded in 2000 and was so named from an old Thai expression ‘erb-im’ that referred to the radiant glow of Thai women. The kit includes “Beelove†lip balm with beeswax and peppermint, and “Eastern Treat†hand crème with jasmine and mint. The lip balm is delicious and effective (no, I didn’t eat it) and the hand crème is incredibly hydrating, but does leave a slightly greasy touch. A note on Thai’s website also reports Royal Silk Class lavatories are supplied “with leading brands of toiletries, such as eau de Cologne, eau de toilette and moisturizing hand cream.†Greasiness aside, I’m bumping Thai up one notch from adequate in this category for the pleasant scents and incredible hydration of the lotion. Score: 5

Oral Care: A full-sized, medium-bristled toothbrush and generous tube of toothpaste are included in the kit, along with alcohol-free mouthwash. All are Fluocaril brand, common in Thailand. The paste is of the “standard†variety (no minty freshness here), but I was incredibly happy they included mouthwash for Business Class passengers. I nearly gave them a ‘6’ in this category, but decided it’s just a notch above adequate. Minty toothpaste and a softer bristle would’ve nailed a higher score. Score: 5

Comfort Items: This kit includes very soft single-use cotton socks and standard elastic eyeshades with the Thai Airways logo. The socks had some fraying, but are totally fine for one-off use and the eyeshades fit snugly and do their job. Also included is a comb/brush combo, something not always seen in Business Class kits. Where are the earplugs? Daraius and Emily confirmed none were handed out inflight and he even sent me a link showing a reviewer noting they aren’t even available upon request. Aren’t earplugs a standard staple? As such, I’m knocking the score down here. Score: 3

Intangibles: From the banded wrapping on the exterior of the unused bag to the snazzy coloring and design, this kit leaves me with an incredible impression of luxury and style. Even more impressive is the small gift of a porcelain frog key chain I found inside (did you two do that, Daraius & Emily?). In any case, job well done, Thai Airways. Score: 7

Total score & comments:

a yellow and blue rectangular box with numbersMy highlighted takeaways from this amenity kit are the bag and the fact they included mouthwash. I collect amenity kits and generally don’t reuse them, but I’ll be hard pressed to not fill this bag up with my essentials for my next trip. My weighted formula knocked this kit below a strong 5.0 score, which I happily (and unofficially) give it in consolation.

Comments

  1. @AAdvantage Geek: I do really like this bag and it’s definitely in the top 5 in that category, but not in overall total score. I’ll have to do a summary post of reviews to-date with a recap of them all… thanks for the idea!

  2. Yes, in TG’s bathrooms, they do have bottle of cologne and lotion, F has Bvlgari “au the vert” (green tea) cologne, and a bottle of Ferragamo “tuscan soul” lotion. C has Thann “passion” cologne, and Y has Erb cologne.

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