5 hours Ago By Gloria Tso
Situated on Bangkok’s famous Wireless Road, The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok features 260 rooms and suites as well as a restaurant by Michelin-starred chef David Toutain From good food to great energy and even greater hospitality, there are a million reasons to love Bangkok, recently named the world’s most popular tourist destination. Yet everything pales in comparison to the feeling of stepping inside The Ritz-Carlton Bangkok for the very first time. Even for a brand name already synonymous with luxury, it’s surprising to see how excellence radiates from every pristine corner of this property from the moment my car pulls up to the imposing building – which, given its proximity to multiple embassies and villas along the city’s famed Wireless Road, is equally lavish and as insulated from its immediate surroundings as it can get.
That seclusion is key to delivering the exclusive VIP experience the Ritz-Carlton is renowned for. Its storied legacy and long list of celebrity clientele over the years sets high expectations for new visitors – as well as offering some prescriptive guidelines for the impeccable standard of service one should come to expect from these properties. I’m happy to report that the brand’s newly opened Bangkok outpost delivers in all senses of the word.
Room service takes 10 minutes to arrive – if, like myself, you crave a river prawn pad Thai at 11pm – while the staff are so overtly warm, welcoming and attentive that I don’t hesitate to call for help when I get stuck in the silliest of situations. My futile attempts at using a corkscrew prompted no more than a quick “We’ll be right with you” – and a newly opened wine bottle ready for the taking, just a few seconds later. Calling the hotel a true urban oasis is far from an overstatement.
As part of the dazzling One Bangkok development, the hotel feels worlds away from the city’s notoriously noisy traffic, boasting priceless panoramic views of the skyline: a rarity in this buzzy metropolis – that’s saying something, considering the amount of rooftop bars per capita here. Far removed from the chaos but still tuned in to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, I enjoy a bird’s-eye view of nearby Lumphini Park from the balcony of my private suite, listening to the buzz of motorbikes in the still-somewhat-bearable February evening heat before retiring to my colossal living space for that glass of wine before bed. If only every night could leave me feeling so at peace.
But back to the property itself. There’s an attention to detail here that is second to none, from freshly picked roses near the check-in desk to gleaming, arched windows across the lobby framing picturesque snapshots of the hotel pool and beyond. You know those are spotless when Bangkok, which unfortunately suffers from periodic air pollution, looks cleaner from the inside than it is on the outside.
Only later do I learn that the roses are more than just a decorative touch, but rather a nod to cultural symbolism and Thais’ love of having flowers in the home – counterbalancing the gorgeous glass installation of water lilies that greets you at the front of the lobby after you take the lift up from the arrival hall. It’s anybody’s guess how to pull off this amount of opulence without looking the least bit tacky or stale. Maybe it’s the genuine happiness I feel when being greeted by staff with the utmost sincerity – it’s called the Land of Smiles for good reason – or the humble photos of the Bangkok of years past that adorn the walls, but this hotel has real, living character that seems to follow me around the more I explore.
And I’m repeatedly struck by how everything is kept so immaculately clean. Seriously, how do they even do it? The standard to which the staff hold themselves accountable even has me cleaning up after myself, as if a dirty shoe print here or mirror stain there might somehow leave an indelible mark on the Ritz-Carlton legacy..
