Waldorf Astoria’s inaugural debut in South East Asia sits in the heart of town with all rooms and public spaces affording prime city views.
Location
Located in the 60-storey mixed-used Magnolia Ratchadamri Boulevard at the Ratchaprasong intersection, Waldorf Astoria Bangkok occupies levels 6 to 15 and 55 to 57 of the mixed-use building shared with residences on the 17th to 54th floor. There are two train stations nearby – both the Ratchadamri and Chitlom BTS Stations are about a 5-minute walk away. Budget an hour – or more during peak hours – for transportation time to or from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Style & character
Exclusive and elegant. You enter via the eight metre-high Lower Lobby on the ground floor and check-in at the Upper Lobby (“UL”) located in between the 15th and 16th floor. Upon arriving at the colonaded UL, you are greeted by Carrara marble walls, candles and hanging pendant lamps overhung from a soaring ceiling with floor-to-ceiling windows affording sweeping views of the city (look out for the Royal Sports Hub in the video above). Check-in takes place at the UL’s reception desks set against a backdrop of burnished bronze lattice screen.
Service and facilities
The staff here navigates hospitality with charm and professionalism. As for facilities, you can’t ask for better than what they already offer – a Waldorf Astoria Spa, a 24-hour fitness studio and a temperature-controlled outdoor swimming pool.
Rooms
There are 171 rooms and suites here and they are all tucked in levels 6 to 15. The entry level Deluxe Room is spacious, weighing in from 50 square meters in size. While the Deluxe Rooms vary in layout due to the design of the building, they all come with floor-to-ceiling windows and are bathed in a palette of warm dusty gold with peach and grey accents against a backdrop of hardwood flooring. Minimalist wood accents, particularly large grained dark-wood furnishings including a handsome Thai-style wooden bar cabinet, anchor the room interior. The biggest highlight has got to be the airy walk-in cabinet that leads into a generous bathroom with a bathtub, a separate shower stall and a separate water closet stall. If you want more space to accommodate the family, book either the 75 square-metre King Deluxe Suite or, better still, the 100 square-metre Astoria Suite (video of suite aboce). The latter comes with a bedroom, living and dining area and packs in a family of four easily. All rooms feature a Nespresso coffee machine and bath amenities by Touscan Soul by Salvatore Ferragamo.
Food & drink
Waldorf Astoria Bangkok has multiple food and beverage offerings – three restaurants, a lounge and two bars. Possibly the most unique of its offerings is Nordic-Thai Front Room by chef Fae Rungthiwa Chummongkhon but we did not get to visit as the restaurant was booked-out for an event during our stay. For breakfast, Brasserie offers an excellent Asian meets Western spread including cut-to-order mangoes from the fruits section and an array of cood cuts and sausages. Guests have the added option of ordering cooked-to-order food – like Thai style omelette and slow-poached egg with dried shrimp chilli paste, pork floss and crispy bacon – in case the buffet offerings are not quite up their alley. It’s hard to make an argument for a steak meal when in Bangkok but if you are travelling with carnivorous children, Bull & Bear could be your ticket to an agreeable with the family meal, with panoramic city views to boot. Here, the meats are grilled in a custom-made rotund grill and that turns out the hunks of beautifully charred steaks with pink centres. Big eaters should go for the 450g hunk of Delmonico ribeye while relatively small eaters may want to consider the 280g of Margaret River fullblood “wagyu” ribeye. For post-dinner drinks, try The Loft or, if you’re a Champagne lover, The Champagne Bar – both are tucked on top of the building that houses the hotel.
Prices
Waldorf Astoria Bangkok room rates start from THB 13,500 (excluding tax and service charge) per room per night. Breakfast costs an additional THB1,150 per person.
151 Ratchadamri Road, Lumphini, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; +66-2-846 8888; waldorfastoria3.hilton.com/Waldorf_Astoria/Bangkok
BIBIK GOURMAND 