Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok

Thailand
Asia

The Experience

Bangkok's newer five-star hotels may be hipper, but when it comes to opulence, there’s only one Shangri-La. A perennial favorite among visiting heads of state and discerning business travelers, the hotel’s twin 25- and 16-story towers sit on the banks of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river. Rooms contain curtains made of Thai silk from Jim Thompson, wooden headboards decorated with golden Buddha images and glittering crystal chandeliers. The Shangri-La is also Bangkok’s only riverside hotel within steps of a Skytrain station, making other parts of the city easier to reach.

The Rooms

The compact standard rooms consist of a main room and a bathroom with white marble; bedspreads and chairs are colored in earth tones. All of the rooms in the smaller, more personalized Krungthep wing have balconies overlooking the river, where rice barges and long-tail boats buzz by below. The specialty suites, with their additional work area, guest bathroom and 24-hour butler service, feel more like upscale apartments than mere hotel rooms. All rooms include amenities like broadband internet access and three telephones. The sprawling Presidential suites have a foyer, dining room, two bedrooms, a work area and adjoining rooms for security personnel.

The Service

Throughout the hotel, guests receive wais (the traditional Thai bowed greeting) and hellos from staff. But it doesn’t feel obsequious or fawning; staffers are trained to make guests feel at home. Indeed, approximately 60 percent of The Shangri-La's clientele are business travelers and convention attendees drawn to the hotel’s numerous conference rooms and huge grand ballroom.

The Highlights

The hotel opened in 1986, and the larger Shangri-La wing is currently undergoing renovations, with the pool and main garden area under construction. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. Both of the lobbies--one for each wing--have curved ceiling lines, two-story-tall windows, bubbling fountains and small ponds. There's a fitness center, two flood-lit tennis courts, and a squash court. An award-winning spa, called Chi, offers eastern-inspired treatments incorporating Himalayan stone massages and the use of Tibetan singing bowls. Restaurants include a popular Italian eatery and a Chinese restaurant. In-house shopping includes a tailor shop, silk shop, carpet shop and more.

 

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