From the tired old Windsor Suites to Thailand’s first Fairmont, this Sukhumvit landmark has put on its finest clothes. Roderick Eime tries it on for size.
Images: supplied
Bangkok has no shortage of five-star hotels, and a new opening would normally earn little more than a polite nod and a “what now?” from the city’s weary old hands. But the freshly minted Fairmont Bangkok Sukhumvit stopped me in my tracks, and not only because I once knew the building as something rather less glamorous.
Veterans of the Bangkok hotel scene will remember the Windsor Suites on Sukhumvit Soi 20, later rebadged as the Grand Mercure Bangkok Windsor. I’m not sure many remember it fondly. After a renovation costing billions of baht, it has re-emerged as Thailand’s first Fairmont, with barely a hint of its former self.
Behind the makeover is Asset World Corporation (AWC), the real estate arm of the TCC Group. That’s the sprawling empire founded by billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and best known to most of us for Chang beer. His daughter, Wallapa Traisorat, runs AWC as CEO and President, and the hotel looks like money well spent.
Location, location
| Soi 20 entrance |
Step outside and Sukhumvit is right there: restaurants, nightlife and shopping malls including EmQuartier and Terminal 21. Better still, Asok BTS and Sukhumvit MRT stations are close enough to serve as your escape hatch from Bangkok’s famous gridlock. Anyone who has sat motionless on Sukhumvit Road at five o’clock will appreciate that.
A stage in bloom
Inside, the transformation is nothing short of theatrical. Thai designers PIA Interior have woven the whole place around a concept called The Blooming Stage, a nod to the country’s floral heritage. The star of the show is a vast chandelier inspired by the golden ratchaphruek, Thailand’s national flower, made from 4,166 glass pieces and more than 35,000 crystal spheres. Add sweeping curves, sculptural furniture and a generous scattering of flourishes, and the public spaces fairly hum with pomp and occasion.
| Lobby lounge |
During my stay, that sense of occasion was underlined by the arrival of high-profile IMF delegates, who glided through the lobby before vanishing into blacked-out limousines with police motorcycle escorts.
I did notice a distinctly North American flavour to some of the styling, a nod to the brand’s heritage that recalls the polished grandeur of big-city hotels across the Pacific. It’s impressive, but I wondered whether it will age well in a city where sophisticated contemporary Thai design is increasingly calling the shots.
The people make the place
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| Fairmont staff modelling their stylish new uniforms |
What won me over fastest was the staff. Attentive, personable and thoroughly professional, many of them cut their teeth at other flagship Accor properties, Sofitel among them. It shows. For all the marble, glass and glitter, it’s the people who turn a hotel stay into a memory.
Rooms with a view
| Deluxe Corner Suite |
Rooms start at a generous 40 square metres, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing sweeping views over the city. Think plush bedding, oversized smart TVs, Nespresso machines and a well-stocked minibar, all with intuitive technology that does what you want without a fuss. The marble bathrooms come with rainfall showers, Le Labo toiletries and fluffy towels and robes. Step up to the higher categories and suites and you gain separate living areas and extra touches.
If you can stretch to it, Fairmont Gold is a worthwhile indulgence. It opens the door to The Club Fairmont lounge on Level 14, with a dedicated concierge, personalised check-in, breakfast, afternoon refreshments and evening cocktails and canapés. Beyond the perks themselves, I loved the quiet, intimate atmosphere, a welcome refuge from the bustle of a big hotel.
Eat, drink, repeat
| Harper's |
Dining is a major drawcard. Harper’s, a lively North American-French brasserie, anchors the food offering, while the standalone AELA Social Bar on the ground floor is a convivial spot for classic and reimagined cocktails, live music and conversation. My go-to is the trusty Old Fashioned, so I was delighted to find it given a makeover with black pepper and roasted jackfruit and renamed Last Fire. Rather good, too.
Upstairs, the relaxed, open-air CAYA Pool Club makes use of the existing pool and adds a brighter, breezier side to the hotel’s personality.
Not everything was ready for its close-up during my visit. The Wiggle Room supper club and rooftop dining venues on Levels 32 and 33 were still waiting in the wings, and should broaden the appeal beyond in-house guests once they open.
Time to unwind
| Spa reception |
The wellness offering is substantial. The spa occupies roughly 1,000 square metres on Level 12, alongside comprehensive fitness facilities, yoga and Pilates. Among the many Jasmine-inspired treatment rooms you’ll find bespoke massages, Thai-influenced therapies, aromatic oils and premium 111SKIN facials, while the thermal suite offers steam, sauna and hot-and-cold contrasts. For something beyond the usual rub-down, there’s even a two-hour sound-healing ritual, a fine antidote to Bangkok’s relentless hubbub.
Business class
| Grand ballroom |
Business travellers are well catered for, with more than 2,000 square metres of meeting and event space, including an impressive grand ballroom with soaring 12-metre ceilings. The recent IMF meetings were proof enough of its credentials. All that conference muscle might suggest a hotel built more for conventions than individual indulgence, but the Fairmont juggles both with surprising ease.
The verdict
The final pieces of this ambitious redevelopment are still slotting into place, but there’s already plenty to admire. The tired old Windsor has been thoroughly reinvented, the service is accomplished and the facilities are impressive. Bangkok’s luxury hotel scene is famously unforgiving of complacency, and only time will tell how gracefully this latest incarnation wears its finery. For now, the Fairmont is a welcome addition to Sukhumvit: comfortable, well connected and polished to a high shine, and a fine base for exploring one of Asia’s most vibrant cities.
Fairmont Bangkok Sukhumvit
Sukhumvit Soi 20, Bangkok, Thailand
www.fairmont.com
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