Shangri La Hotel, Bangkok

History

The hotel opened initially in 1986 as one building, now known as the Shangri-La Wing, before adding the second Krungthep Wing in August 1991. All the hotels facilities remain in the 25-story Shangri-La Wing, with 673 rooms there, and 129 in the Krungthep Wing, named after the local name for Bangkok.

In the year of its opening, the hotel worked with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Royal Orchid Sheraton to boost tourism, which increased the number of events held in the city from US, Europe and Australia.

The hotel went through a US$17 million renovation in 2001–02 including its guestrooms, lobby, restaurant, entrance and spa as part of a wider US$130 million investment in the region, that included the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, the Makati Shangri-La, Manila, the China World Hotel, Beijing and the Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong.

Between late 2007 and 2010 the hotel was renovated again at a cost of US$60 million, including all public spaces with a design change that aimed to blend contemporary elements with a more traditional Thai design.”

In 2014 the hotel formed a business group with eight other five-star riverside hotels in Bangkok called the Bangkok Riverside Marketing Partnership (BRMP). The other hotels are the Anantara Bangkok Riverside & Spa, Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Millennium Hilton Bangkok, The Peninsula Bangkok, Ramada Plaza Bangkok Menam Riverside, and Royal Orchid Sheraton, and in 2015 the group pledged an investment of 150 billion baht to boost tourism in the city with new shopping projects including a Yodpiman Riverwalk shopping mall and a riverfront project called Asiatique the Riverfront II. A free ferry is also planned, with all set to be completed by 2018.

Design and construction

The hotel's design was based on the valley depicted in James Hilton's 1933 novel, Lost Horizon.

It was built by Japanese architect firm Kanko Kikaku Sekkisha (KKS Tokyo) on a site of 25,000 square meters, with 25 floors and one basement level. It initially opened with 716 rooms over a total of 77,610 sq.m. floor space.

Leese Robertson Freeman Designers developed the interior of the hotel, and oversaw the 2001–02 renovation at a cost of US$17 million. Public spaces and rooms were designed by Wilson & Associates, including the colonnaded marble floored lobby featuring the work “Golden Shangri-La” by Thai sculptor Thongchai Srisukprasert based on author James Hilton’s concept of “a harmonious place where all of the elements are aligned.” The landscape design was created by Bill Bensley of Bangkok-based Bensley Design Studio.

Rooms and suites

Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, comprises 802 guestrooms in the two adjacent towers, the Shangri-La Wing and Krungthep Wing. The rooms are decorated with classic Thai style designed by Wilson & Associates, include elm burlwood panelling and carved Thai motifs The Krungthep Wing is designed for greater privacy, with a private butler service.

Restaurants

Restaurants within the hotel include Angelini, the Horizon Cruise private riverboat on Chao Phraya River, the market-style NEXT2 Cafe designed by Tokyo’s Super Potato, Salathip, and Shang Palace. The Long Bar and The Chocolate Boutique, inspired by traditional Belgian and French chocolate shops, were added in 2010.

Angelini opened in 1995 as one of the first high-end Italian restaurants in Bangkok, the two-story Angelini was designed by Baldauf Catton von Eckartsberg Architects of California. Run by Chef Omar Ugoletti of Marche in central Italy, formerly of London’s Bertarelli Restaurant and Hong Kong’s Michelin 3-star Mezzo Bombana, it has been voted the Best Italian Restaurant in Bangkok by Bangkok Dining & Entertainment for 12 years.

Chef de Cuisine at the Salathip is Tussanee Putkaew, a graduate of food and nutrition from Bangkok Technical College who has overseen the restaurant since 2004. Putkaew, who grew up in the southern province of Chumphon has been invited to present Thai cuisine around the region including in Japan, Hong Kong, China and the Philippines. The restaurant, designed by Bensley Design Studios, hosts traditional Thai dance performances by artistic group That who reenact famous scenes from Thailand’s epic, the Ramakien. It is recognised for preserving the culinary heritage of Thailand.

Opened with the hotel in 1986, Shang Palace underwent a 120 million baht renovation in 2013. The 300-seat Shang Palace is now run by Hong Kong native Sham Yun Ming and two other master chefs. The Executive Chinese Chef has more than 35 years experience working in restaurants around the world, including in Shanghai and Beijing.

Awards

Embrace: Care for People Project

Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok provides support to Lerdsin Hospital in the Bangkok District as its EMBRACE beneficiary. The hotel specifically funds and assists the tertiary care hospital and has provided blood transfusion facilities for the regular care of patients suffering with thalassaemia. Approximately 20 patients use the facilities every two to four weeks. It also donates to the Bone Cancer Fund of the Lerdsin Hospital Foundation through activities within the hotel such as collecting donations at Christmas time.

The Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok organizes a regular “Big Brothers” project every two months to provide education and food to the children in the hospital. It also has a yearly program with Wat Suanplu School and Lerdisn Hospital called "One Child One Gift" where it donates snacks and gifts

Media Reviews

The hotel has been recognised by The Independent as the “best place to stay in Bangkok” with an “echoing marble lobby” and convenient links to the city’s transport network via the Saphan Taksin BTS Station. The hotel was described by CNN as providing “quintessential Thai touches, including silk and teak finishings.”