Big brand openings in Bangkok

Bedding down in Southeast Asia’s liveliest hub is even more enticing than ever, with a host of big luxury names touching down. With the vibrant city retaining its status as a prime destination for MICE groups, it is not surprising that the selection of new big-hitters is all amply kitted out to cater to the needs of corporate guests.

Bangkok Edition

Located in the landmark MahaNakhon building—a unique, ‘pixelated’ tower that at 314 metres is currently Thailand’s tallest building—Bangkok Edition is one of the city’s most eagerly anticipated hotels. A collaboration between famed hotel designer Ian Schrager and Marriott International, the Edition brand combines the intimate individualised design that Schrager is known for with the global reach of Marriott.

When it opens in 2018, the Bangkok property will be one of a select group of Edition hotels around the globe and looks certain to create a similar buzz to its counterparts in London, Miami, New York and Sanya. Highlights of the property, which will have a total room count of 154, include a signature detailed design by Schrager and a bar boasting 360-degree views of the city.

MICE advantages, meanwhile, will include more than 500 sqm of event space including three boardrooms, a private screening room and an outdoor banquet terrace. For high-end retail and dining, MahaNakhon Cube offers venues such as L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Vogue Lounge, Morimoto Bangkok, M Krub and Bangkok’s flagship Dean & DeLuca.

Park Hyatt Bangkok

Part mall, part hotel and part high-concept event, exhibition and leisure space, Central Embassy lives up to its billing as Bangkok’s most opulent lifestyle hub. The final part of the jigsaw is the 222-room Park Hyatt, which debuted in the development in May. Incorporating a series of exterior courtyards and roof gardens as well as a striking infinity-edge pool overlooking the hubbub below and the city’s skyscraper-dotted skyline, the hotel has an oasis-like appeal.

For event planners, the property provides no fewer than 12 elegant event venues covering a total of 2,000 sqm. Highlights of the hotel’s events offerings include a pillarless main ballroom for 500 reception guests, accessible via a dramatic sweeping staircase. This is supported by five meeting rooms on the same floor. The Apartment comprises five daylight-filled spaces ranging from 32 to 47 sqm, four of which can be combined.

Capella Bangkok

Arguably Bangkok’s most relaxing location, the banks of the Chao Phraya River are not short on world-class accommodation options. Nevertheless, the addition of a new offering by a super-luxury hotel brand is something for high-end event planners to get excited about.

Scheduled to open in summer 2018, the property promotes a small-scale aesthetic with a total 101 suites and villas, all with river views. Outstanding additional draws at the resort include a sizeable spa and outdoor pool. Of special interest to event planners, meanwhile, there will also be a riverfront ballroom as well as several other function rooms.

Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park

Location and size are two of the prime drawcards of this new property from Marriott, which opened for business at the end of 2016. With a whopping 1,360 rooms and suites, the hotel—which is situated in the Phrom Phong section of internationally flavoured Sukhumvit Road—offers luxury on a grand scale.

Trimmings are as extensive as you might expect from a property this size with facilities such as a spa and an outdoor swimming pool complementing dining alternatives including Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Business groups are exceptionally well catered to here, with a total of 35 event rooms and a combined 6,400 sqm of event space. A grand ballroom with room for up to 1,300 guests is ideal for a convention or a conference. A dedicated event-planning and catering team, meanwhile, ensures that everything goes entirely according to plan.

Waldorf Astoria Bangkok

The similarly much-delayed Waldorf Astoria is well on its way to completion in the centre of the city near Lumphini Park and is currently scheduled to open in January 2018. Reaching a sky-scraping 60 storeys, the hotel will comprise 170 guest rooms.

Details of final event spaces are yet to be released, but initial plans show two ballrooms and nine meeting rooms as well as two restaurants and two bar/lounges.