The Waldorf Astoria Bangkok invites you to live the high life in Thailand’s capital
- A VIP fast-track service will have you out of the airport before you can say Suvarnabhumi, and once in the hotel, the multitude of restaurants – from ‘Scandinasian’ to French fare – and the spa will keep you happily occupied
Ah Bangkok, so this must be a Khao San Road joint? Ha ha, not quite. The newly opened Waldorf Astoria Bangkok sits on the busy Ratchaprasong intersection, a few minutes’ walk to the Erawan Shrine, with luxury malls at almost every turn. It is the first Waldorf Astoria in Southeast Asia and overlooks the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, so you can watch golfers in pressed slacks sweating their way out of perfectly manicured bunkers rather than backpackers with newly braided hair sweating their way out of shabby restaurants.
How do I get there? Handily, both BTS Skytrain lines are within a few minutes’ walk, but the chances are you’ll take advantage of the hotel’s airport-fast-track service. Arriving at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is rarely pleasurable, with often epic lines at immigration, but the Waldorf Astoria will whisk you – for a fee – past the hordes to an express VIP lane before your limousine pickup.
So, not a charming Bangkok taxi driver then? Purlease … the S-class Mercedes is a refined transfer complete with snacks and refreshments. In common with the rest of the hotel, there are no plastic bottles in the car, water coming instead in a paper carton. And you are video-called on an iPad by the reception desk, mid-journey, to be welcomed and checked in.
Is the Waldorf Astoria in a skyscraper, like the New York original? Indeed it is. The 171 guest rooms and suites are to be found on levels six to 16 of the 60-storey Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard development, while levels 55 to 57 are home to some of the hotel’s dining and drinking outlets.
What about the design feels? Interesting you should phrase it that way. Hong Kong architect André Fu and his AFSO studio were responsible for designing the main hotel. There are curves everywhere, and surfaces are incredibly tactile. From the cool white Carrara marble in the lobby to the soft fabric walls of the spa, you have to stop yourself from touching everything.