Park Hyatt Bangkok is set to open in 2014.

Hyatt announced this week that a contract has been signed with the developers of Central Embassy, a new high-end luxury shopping, entertainment and lifestyle venue, on the corner of Wireless and Ploenchit Roads, on the extensive grounds of the former gardens of the British embassy.

Park Hyatt Bangkok will feature 222 rooms, including 49 suites. Average rooms sizes are slated at around 50 square meters. The hotel will of course feature “all-day dining and specialty restaurants, a lobby lounge and specialty lounge, as well as a sky bar and restaurant with magnificent views of downtown Bangkok. There will also be 15,515 square-feet of meeting space and amenities including a spa, business center, fitness room and swimming pool.”

The Park Hyatt Bangkok will be Thailand’s first park Hyatt and it’s third Hyatt after the Grand Hyatt Erawan and the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin. (See my review of the Grand Hyatt Erawan. Flickr photo set here.) There are also plans for another Park Hyatt on Phuket, in Siray Bay, down the road from the Westin Siray Bay.

Read more about the the Park Hyatt Bangkok and Central Embassy in the post I wrote this morning on a sister blog to this site, NewThaiHotels.com

Positioning itself in the super luxury realm alongside the St Regis, which opened last spring, rooms are expected to sell for higher than USD300 per night, which is considerably higher than the famously low rates for 5 star hotels in Bangkok of around USD100-180. Then again, the St. Regis and Park Hyatt are true 5 star hotels, in contrast to some hotels that seem to play a little loose with the definition….

Are you as excited about this new property as I am? Probably not, I’m pretty excited

If you have any thoughts or observations about this new addition to the high end of Bangkok’s luxury hotel market, leave them below. Do you think USD300 is too expensive for a night in a Bangkok hotel, especially when they don’t have personalized butler service like the St. Regis?

You might also like:

• Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Review
• Four Seasons Bangkok vs Grand Hyatt Erawan- Part 1
• Video tour of Grand Hyatt Erawan + Wish list

After a few months in limbo, I have finally rescued and relaunched a project of mine that I had let languish for a while and slip into oblivion.

NewThaiHotels.com is a site that, as the name implies, focuses on new hotel and resort openings throughout Thailand. As a lover of hotels, I of course love new ones and this gives me another excuse to hang around and check them out. I will also be reporting on any soft openings that I think are noteworthy.

Many hotels when they open go through what is called a soft opening, with greatly discounted prices in exchange for your patience while the staff learn the ropes, or the finishing touches are put on some parts of the hotel, like the pool, restaurant or perhaps some unfinished floors. These can be a bonanza for bargain hunters who like to stay in luxurious accommodations without the 5 star price.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in reading about, bookmark the site, or subscribe to the RSS feed to stay up to date.

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Members of Thai Airways frequent flyer program, Royal Orchid Plus (R.O.P) can take advantage of a number of hotel promotions including discounted and free nights, as well as  triple and quadruple miles for qualifying stays.

Centara

From September 1st to November 30th 2011, Royal Orchid Plus members can pay for one night at 50% off the regular published rates and stay for a second night for free.

Centara has 13 properties in Thailand participating in this special promotion and you can choose from the following hotels and resorts:

• Centara Grand at CentralWorld in Bangkok
• Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya
• Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui
• Centara Villas Phuket
• Centara Kata Resort Phuket
• Centara Chaan Talay Resort & Villas Trat
• Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok
• Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
• Centara Villas Samui
• Centara Karon Resort Phuket
• Novotel Centara Hat Yai
• Centara Duangtawan Hotel Chiang Mai

The links above lead to each hotel’s page on Agoda, which more often than not has the cheapest rates for pretty much any hotel in Thailand, however if you want to take advantage of the special offer outlined above, you need to contact the Centara reservations center directly, either by email at reservations@chr.co.th or by telephone at +66 (0) 2101 1234 ext 1. Also, this promotion is not available on long weekends and public holidays.

For comparison I checked the rates for a random date, September 20th for two nights at Centara Grand at Central World in Bangkok.  Agoda quoted me USD114 per night for a Superior World Room.

With the promotion listed above, the regular rate when booking directly through Centara for the same room and same date is THB10358 (USD345). The 50% discount on the first night brings it to THB5179 (USD172). The second night is then free. This rate includes taxes but not breakfast.

So if you are a Royal Orchid Plus member, a 2 night stay at using this promotion would save you USD56.

Millennium Hotels

Earn triple miles for 5 consecutive nights stay and above at participating Millennium Hotels from September 1st to November 30th.

• Triple miles for 5 or more consecutive nights.
• Double miles for 3-4 consecutive nights.
• 500 miles for a 1-2 night stay.

Book online at www.millenniumhotels.com, or call the worldwide reservations number at +65 6735 7575 or by email at reservations@millenniumhotels.com

Intercontinental Hotels Group

Up to 4X bonus miles when you stay at participating Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn properties in Thailand and throughout the world, up to 16,000 bonus miles.

• Bonus level 1: 100 bonus miles for every night you stay
• Bonus level 2: 2X your bonus miles when you stay at any 2 IHG brands
• Bonus level 3: 3X your bonus miles when you stay at any 3 IHG brands
• Bonus level 4: 4X your bonus miles when you stay at any 4 IHG brands

You must be a member of Priority Clubs Rewards and register at www.priorityclub.com/TG4x or call your nearest Priority Club Service Center with your member number and quote promo code 9955

Priority Club Service Centers

• Australia: +60 2 9935 8362
• Japan: +81 3 5767 9325
• China: +86 20 3419 8282
• Korea: +63 2 857 8778
• Other Asia Pacific Countries: +63 857 8788
• US: 1-800-211-9874
• UK: 0871 226 111
• Europe: +44 870 607 2582

You might also like:

• This week’s Thai hotel deals- Sept 16 2010
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Elephant conservation and rehabilitation earn Anantara runner-up in Wildlife category of Conde Nast Traveler’s World Saver Awards 2011

Anantara Golden Triangle & Resort in the Golden Triangle (Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand) has snagged the runner up status for 2011 in the Wildlife category of the Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s World Saver Awards

Elephants have been revered in Thailand for nearly 4,000 years: They have carried kings into war and earned their keep by performing hard labor, such as hauling timber. But with mechanization, elephants and their mahouts, or owners, have become less valuable. Many have ended up in dangerous urban environments, the mahouts eking out a living by having their elephants perform tricks in exchange for tips.

Anantara—in collaboration with the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre—decided to change that, creating a resort that provides a three-day interactive elephant experience for guests, with proceeds benefiting the center. Today, 30 elephants and their mahout families live at Anantara. From the chic dining room, you can gaze out across tropical fields and misty riverbanks and watch the elephants graze and bathe. The resort provides living expenses for the mahout families, medical care, and even elephant life insurance (to support the family in case of an animal’s death).

Anantara is also helping mahouts to develop new skills so future generations have more options. Mahout wives, now trained in traditional silk weaving, sell their wares to visitors. The resort even sponsors research beyond tourism, using the elephants in therapy for autistic children in hopes of creating more jobs for the elephants and their mahouts

Not just an elephant sanctuary, Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa is also a 77 room luxurious 5 star resort snuggled in the beautiful mountains of northern Thailand close to the borders of Laos and Myanmar, in fact, you can see both countries, as well as the Mekong River from the luxurious pool.

You might also like:

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Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi featured in The Bachelorette on ABC

The episode of the American ABC reality show The Bachelorette which aired this week (season 7 episode 5) was filmed over two weeks in April on location in Chiang Mai at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, where the cast stayed.

Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai worked with T.O.T, the oft-criticized Tourism Authority of Thailand to help bring The Bachelorette to Thailand and along with it, the show’s massive global viewership and following. Ashley, the “bachelorette”,  and 12 of the eligible men still in the running for her “love” stayed at the resort in April for two weeks, to film episode five of the long running series, now in its seventh season. Another episode was filmed in Phuket.

“Hosting such a popular TV show as The Bachelorette is indeed a great honour for us,” noted Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai General Manager Greg Liddell. Set in lush grounds, with luxurious rooms and an award-winning spa, Mandarin Oriental, Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai provides a wonderful romantic retreat for couples. “The filming of the episode allows us to showcase the beauty of the resort to a wide viewership, and we hope this will also do a great deal to promote Chiang Mai and Thailand as a holiday destination,” he added.

Just a 10 minute shuttle ride out of Northern Thailand’s capital city, Chiang Mai, the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi is surrounded by paddy fields and jungle-like vegetation, giving guests the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. This is a self contained resort, so you could spend your entire vacation here, being pampered and relaxing, or use the resort as a base for exploring the city and surroundings. The villas, suites and residences are everything you could imagine.

Luxury and privacy of this level does not come cheap and rooms start at just over USD500 for a “Colonial Suite”, the basic room type, up to USD1037 for a Grande Deluxe Villas with plunge pool, and USD1464 for a Grand Deluxe Villas with pool, as seen above. The rates listed here are for a weekend stay in the middle of July 2011 and found on Agoda.

You might also like:

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I get a lot of traffic from people looking for private pool villas in Bangkok. While there are plenty of private pool villas in Thailand, they are hard to find in Bangkok. In fact, I would venture to say that until this year, there were none. That changes this year with the opening of a new luxury property on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

The Siam Hotel

Scheduled to open September 1st 2011, The Siam Hotel (website) will be the first hotel in Bangkok (to my knowledge) to offer private pool villas. Located at the base of Krung Thon Bridge in historic Dusit district, between Khao San and Chatuchak, The Siam is the project of the famous Sukosol family.

A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, you can expect old world charm in the antique filled  39 room art deco luxury riverside residence.

Six room types will be on offer including three suites ranging in size from 77 sqm to 100 sqm, two pool villas measuring 126 sqm and Connie’s Cottage, a 163 sqm Thai residence which was actually transported down the Chao Phraya river by boat from the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya.

Opening rates for the pool villas are USD1000 per night for the regular pool villas and USD1200 per night for the riverside pool villa.

Watch this space closer to the opening for more information.

For those who cannot wait until the opening of The Siam later this year, there are a couple of  alternatives in Bangkok. Although not exactly private pool villas, these are the closest you can get to it in Bangkok.

Pool access rooms at the Siam Kempinski

Siam Kempinski, which opened last year behind the most luxurious shopping mall in all of Thailand, Siam Paragon, features a huge labyrinth of a pool that meanders around the grassy, palm shaded grounds of the 5 star hotel.

As you can see from the photo above, all of the rooms on the ground floor have doors that open out onto a small terrace with a table and two recliners. From the terrace guests have direct access to the pool.

The photos above of the Siam Kempinski come from Jordy Chen’s excellent Flickr set. See all 280 photos here.

Baan Davis at the Davis Hotel

Baan Davis is a private section of the Davis Hotel, comprising of ten villas ranging in size from 164 sqm to 250 sqm. Seven of the villas have 2 bedrooms and the remaining are 3 bedroom villas. There is a private swimming pool for guests staying in the villas, offering a quieter, more private experience than guests at the regular hotel pool.

Do you know of any other private pool villas, private pools or pool access rooms in Bangkok? If I have missed any please let me know by leaving a comment below.

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Lebua at State Tower Bangkok and Phulay Bay Ritz Carlton Reserve feature in  Hollywood blockbuster The Hangover 2

Lebua at State Tower Bangkok

Lebua at State Tower plays a prominent role in The Hangover Part II -showcasing the open air bar on the roof of a skyscraper hotel as seen from a helicopter. Sirocco, touted as the world’s highest open-air rooftop restaurant on the 63rd floor offers breathtakingly panoramic views of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river, which are especially impressive at sunset. Sirrocco and Sky Bar are part of the spectacular Lebua hotel complex, located in the Sathorn district, close to the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The nearest BTS Skytrain station is Saphan Taksin, from where you can also catch many different shuttle ferries and teak dinner cruise boats.

Rooms at Lebua currently start at USD187* for the Tower Club Cityview Suite, and USD 893* for the Tower Club 3 bedroom “Hangover Suite”. There is also a Hangover 2 package deal for 2 nights, details listed below. Of course rates on Agoda are always discounted way below the official rates offered on the official hotel website. *Rates quoted are for stay over the end of June 2011.

HANGOVER II PACKAGE

• Roundtrip airport limousine transfers.
• Accommodations in a two-bedroom suite in Lebua’s Tower Club. Located on the 54th- 59th floor, 1800-square-foot suites include sweeping views of Bangkok, complimentary wifi, free movies on demand, complimentary minibar items and BVLGARI amenities.
• Complimentary Hangovertini cocktail, served in-suite or at Skybar, the world’s tallest al fresco bar. (Created for the film, the first Hangovertini was served to director Todd Phillips!)
• Three-course chef’s menu at Mezzaluna, Lebua’s newly relaunched fine dining restaurant.
• Access to the luxury Tower Club Lounge with complimentary cocktails, canapés and a high tea service.

Rates start at $2,200 for two nights, based on double occupancy. Package is valid throughout 2011

Phulay Bay, A Ritz Carlton Reserve

The wedding scenes at the beginning of The Hangover 2 were filmed at Phulay Bay, A Ritz Carlton Reserve, the flagship property of the new Reserve brand of the Ritz Carlton, focusing on smaller, boutique properties in remote of rural areas. It is truly a stunning property.

The resort is located on the coast of the Andaman Sea 40 minutes from Krabi International Airport and 2 hours from Phuket International Airport.

Among the facilities included are an infinity pool, destination spa, fitness center, shopping, cooking classes and Thai Batik painting. The luxurious villas feature rainforest showers, indoor and outdoor baths, spacious walk-in wardrobes and verandas with lounge beds. Each room is assigned a personal butler, whose services are at guests’ disposal 24 hours a day.

Rates start at just under USD700* for the Resort Pavilion on the Ritz Carlton website, while they can be had for USD495* on Agoda. *Rates quoted are for the end of June 2011.

Have you seen The Hangover 2? If you have, did it make you want to visit Thailand? Or did the scenes of debauchery confirm suspicions you had and put you off visiting Thailand in the future?

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Sukhothai Bangkok provides 13 different pillows in eight styles.

Along with poolside lounges placed IN the pool (Millennium Hilton Bangkok & Renaissance Ratchaprasong), which I am still dubious about btw,  and glass walls between the bathroom and living area of hotel rooms (just about every hotel built over the past few years), pillow menus are popping up all over the Bangkok 5 star landscape.

I first mentioned the pillow menu at the Grand Hyatt Erawan last year and have since seen them appearing at several hotels including the Millennium Hilton mentioned above.

The Sukhothai Hotel on Sathorn Road in Bangkok offers a pillow menu with 13 different pillows in eight styles from Parker & Morgan, a “top designer and manufacturer of pillows and sleep products”, according to the in-room paraphernalia.

Below is a brief listing of the pillow menu at the Sukhothai Bangkok, a full version of the pillow menu can be viewed here.

• Buckingham Micro-Fibre. Made with hypoallergenic micro-fibres, these pillows are ideal for allergy sufferers and feel just like down.
• Belgravia Goose Down. Goose down is the softest of all feathers.
  
• Chelsea Latex. Natural properties that make it one of the most comfortable and sanitary materials in bedding today.
• Knightsbridge Memory Foam. Temperature sensitive pressure relieving material that moulds to your shape, providing unrivaled support and comfort.
• Eco-Friendly Range.  Choose from Lyocell, Bamboo and Buckwheat.
• Wedge Pillow. Designed for people who suffer from acid reflux and GERD.
• Pregnancy Pillow. Great for comfort and circulation, the special design supports an expectant mother’s middle body while she is sleeping or relaxing.
• Wellness Pillows. Cotswold pillows with a pocket for special herb sachets. Choose from lavender and chamomile.

What kind of pillow do you like? Do you find the standard ones provided comfortable enough? Or do you ever make use of the special ones available at some hotels?

You might also like:

• Pillow menu at the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok

One Bangkok and two Ko Samui hotels join 121 other hotels around the world to make Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the best hotels that opened in 2010.

In the recently released 2011 Condé Nast Traveler Hot Hotels List, 124 properties spanning 43 countries and six continents were chosen from all the hotels that opened in 2010 as the best of the best.

Below are the three hotels in Thailand which opened in 2010 and made it to this year’s Hot List.

Siam Kempinski Bangkok

First up is the majestic Siam Kempinski Bangkok, the first Kempinski hotel in Thailand, and situated in an unbeatable location in the heart of Bangkok right behind the upscale Siam Paragon shopping mall

“A handful of heroics set it apart, including the modern art program, which stocks the hotel with 1,500 paintings, sculptures, and bewitching collages by local artists. All 303 rooms face the courtyard’s palm gardens and free-form pools, screening guests from the city’s hum. Walls are decorated in padded Thai silk, some with gilded accent panels depicting rural life and lotus flower designs, and rooms are wired for video on demand, Internet radio, and iPod connectivity.”

Banyan Tree Ko Samui

Ko Samui is really heating up with the opening of many spectacular resorts including not one but two winners to make it to this year’s Hot List, including the Banyan Tree Samui.

“In a feat of engineering and architecture, the villas dramatically ascend the hillsides on stilts, clinging to the slopes. The golf cart–driving chauffeurs mean it when they tell you to hold on. Each of the 78 villas has a sizable swimming pool outside and earth tones inside.”

W Retreat Koh Samui

W Retreat Koh Samui rounds off  Thailand’s contribution to this years Hot List, further enhancing Ko Samui’s green credentials.

“If you don’t feel like socializing, pop in the mix CD provided in your minibar, and you’ll soon be at ease in your bachelor pad of a villa, with its red-and-black color scheme, sliding wall panels, beanbag chairs, and private pool. At the beach, which curves around a headland, villas have either a sunset or sunrise view…”

I’m surprised to see that the Hansar Bangkok is not included in this list at all. Considering that it opened December 15th and this list came out in May, I would have though they would have had time to send somebody to take a look. I did. Check out my review of Hansar Bangkok.

What do you think of this year’s Hot List? What other hotels in Thailand would you like to have seen included? Leave a comment below and tell us what you think.

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St Regis is famed for its signature butler service, and apart from the car ride from the airport if you so chose, your personal butler will be your first, and last, point of contact during your stay.

Your butler will be waiting for you on the ground floor and will take you and your baggage up to the 12th floor to check you in. Don’t be surprised if your butler anticipates your needs before you have an opportunity to express them, as they are exceptionally well trained at the original St Regis property in New York and are very attentive and perceptive.

As I was there before the hotel officially opened and the ground floor was yet to be completed, Yod, my butler, met me at the foot of the stairs at Ratchadamri BTS Skytrain station. Immaculately dressed and perfectly mannered, he looked exactly how you would expect a butler to look; three-piece suit, cuff links, white gloves and shirt, silver necktie.

Yod took great pride in his work and assured me that all the other butlers at the St Regis did as well. I asked him what makes a great butler and he told me it was a hunger for knowledge.

“I’m always watching to see what guests are interested in and then I try to find out as much as I can about those things so I can answer any questions a guest may have.”

Yod- St Regis Bangkok butler

Try as I might, I couldn’t stump him on any question that I could come up with, whether it was the thread count in the sheets (320 count Egyptian cotton), where the signature Remède toiletries -which are made specially for St Regis- were made (Spain), or the name of the bartender who invented what has become known as the Bloody Mary, at the King Cole Bar in St Regis New York in 1934, (Fernand Petiot).

Butlers at the St Regis Bangkok do a lot more than simply greet you and carry your bags to your room. Whether it is unpacking your luggage for you or whipping up just about any food order you can concoct, with one assigned to each floor they are always at your beck and call.

Guests also have a choice of butlers if they so choose. Apart from butlers fluent in English and Thai, St Regis offers butlers who are proficient in Japanese and Mandarin, with Spanish and French speaking butlers currently undergoing training to be deployed soon.

Guests can also choose to have a female butler if the idea of a male butler packing and unpacking their suitcases make them a little uncomfortable.

The introduction to Bangkok of the butler service at the St Regis is an exciting addition to the Bangkok luxury hotel market and certainly raises the bar for high end properties.

You don’t have to be a millionaire to live like one for a few nights and enjoy the pampering attention of a butler at the St Regis Bangkok with the introductory “BANGKOK DEBUT” package from THB 7,300 ++ per night (around USD 242).  The package is valid between April 1st and June 30th 2011.

To book this special opening package call the St Regis at +(66) 2207 7777 or email them at reservation.bangkok@stregis.com

You might also like:

• St Regis Bangkok introductory package deals
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