The opening of the new W Hotel on December 7 marks the entrance of one of Starwood’s coolest brands into the Bangkok market. And at the same time, it will help raising awareness about an emerging entertainment district in the Thai capital.
BANGKOK- The building with its grey polished glass facade on Sathorn Road might probably not attract the eye. But a first look can be deceiving as the interior of the new W Hotel will bring all the trendy cool atmosphere of this US-made brand to Bangkok.
How will the W Bangkok and its 407 rooms however distinguish itself as the Thai capital is experiencing a load of new properties, many of them claiming also to be design hotels? “Our DNA is to be all about cool design and this is what we are well known for. W Hotels have been around for almost 15 years and that fact gives us a strong global powerhouse brand. As I like to say “We don’t practice anymore, we deliver”. And that will certainly make the difference with the competition of other design hotels” says Nick Heath, General Manager of W Bangkok.
Music, fashion, life-style, stylish gastronomy: these are all the thematics that W wants to personify in Bangkok. As experienced in other countries where W set a presence, the Bangkok property will then incarnate a kind of casual contemporary luxury. “We like to make people feeling comfortable about this place. Our hotel is anything but intimidating. Like all W hotels we are open to the outside and position ourselves as a place where anyone can meet. The lobby every night is then turning into the WOOBar music lounge”, adds the GM.
The Kitchen Table promised to revolutionize guest’s dining experience by infusing a contemporary zest into culinary traditions. While W decided to renounce to have the usual sky-bar- “we don’t want to do what everyone does,” explains Nick Heath, the Wet Deck with its swimming pool will offer a bar with views to observe the sunset.
W Bangkok is however bringing a new element which might detonate in a world of contemporary design. Next to the hotel tower, a cream and yellow old colonial building makes an interesting contrast by its neo-baroque exuberance. The house used to be the home of Luang Jitjamnongwanich, a wealthy merchant back to the early years of the 20th century. It became then Hotel Royal in 1927 to finally be during 50 years the Soviet Union and then Russian Embassy in Thailand. It will open now during the first quarter of 2013 and is indeed part of the W Hotel. “We cannot say anything about the property but this heritage building will be an open space to the public with F&B outlets, some function rooms and private suites,” adds Nick Heath.
W Bangkok wants to be more than just a hotel. “We look to work hard with local communities and other business in the area to turn this street corner along Sathorn and Narathiwat road into the new hip entertainment place in Bangkok. We are ideally located, minutes away from the CBD, from Silom and also the Chao Praya River with an excellent access by public transport. With the Mahanakhon Building, one of Bangkok’s future architectural icons built next to us, we certainly become a focus of social life in the city,” explains W Bangkok GM.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
