How often do you get to stay in a hotel that is also a major tourist attraction? Not very much even for many of us Indians who have been to a few heritage properties in Rajasthan.
Located on one of the most prime stretches of riverside real estate in bustling Bangkok, the Oriental receives a steady stream of visitors everyday and with good reason. With its resort style layout and resilience since it was first opened back in 1876, it has even earned itself a nickname – the grand lady of Chao Phraya.
It must have taken a special level of clairvoyance to have built the Oriental 135 years ago at exactly the same spot where it stands even today. But greatness sits lightly on this lady's shoulders. The Oriental has had its share of historic transformations from being a small 16-room property to its current 393, from being war ravaged to being hit hard by extensive flooding when the Chao Phraya River broke its banks. But the Oriental stood its ground because besotted celebrities and guests keep coming back to experience this gem of the orient.
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group took over management of the Oriental in 1973. After a multi-million dollar renovation effort that made it one of the most luxurious hotel properties in the world, the hotel was also rebranded in 2008.
For a luxury five-star hotel property of its age, the Mandarin Oriental manages to seamlessly combine the old and the new. The colonial architecture of its old wing, which now houses the famous author's suites and the steel and glass structure of its modern 16-storeyed wing, which houses the newly refurbished rooms and suites, express a unique fusion of two worlds. Antique furniture, louvered shutters, ceiling fans and Victorian Fretwork in the old wing speak to guests about the hotel's rich past, even as flat panel displays, shower cubicles and infinity pools pamper them in the new wings.
The experience
I stayed in one of the rooms on the tenth floor of the new wing with a spectacular framed view of the Chao Phraya river. The Chao Phraya cutting through the middle of Bangkok flows ceaselessly – I mean both the river and the boat traffic on it. Big barges being pulled by tug-boats and carrying sand and container cargo, fishing trawlers, private luxury boats, long public transportation boats and even the floating shuttles of the hotels lining the river are all busily going about their business through the day. At night, the sights are even more beautiful, with the hotels' luxury dinner cruises floating by.
You can experience the fantastic sights and the sounds of the Chao Phraya from atleast four of the Mandarin Oriental's eight restaurants. The restaurant that I chose to experience was Sala Rim Naam, which serves authentic Thai cuisine. Subtly changed to suit an international audience, the buffet dinner at the restaurant was amongst the best Thai cuisine that I have experienced. The setting is also grand, after the interior of the restaurant was revived to look like a mini palace and there is a Thai Classical dance show every night.
The other restaurants are Le Normandie, said to be Bangkok's finest French dining venue, The China House known for its avant-garde 1930s Shanghai Art Deco interior, the award-winning Lord Jim's, which serves what is arguably the best seafood buffet lunch in Bangkok, The Verandah Coffee Shop and BBQ Riverside Terrace, which offers open air dining by the riverside and Ciao, an outdoor Italian bistro (seasonal). My personal favourite at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok was the historical Authors' Lounge serving superb Afternoon Tea and snacks. Set to look like a colonial era mansion from the inside, this lounge's pleasing white and pastel green colour scheme and wicker work furniture.
The Oriental has hosted innumerable celebrities and many of them are authors and literary greats whose works were inspired by the property and its settings. The hotel in turn has been inspired by them and the result are the author's suites each named after greats like Somerset Maugham, Joseph Konrad, Noel Coward, John Le Carre etc. Each of these exclusive suites have been customised and decorated with handpicked specialities that were the personal favourites of the author they have been named after.
I also had the opportunity to experience the award-winning Oriental Spa, which is located across the river from the hotel's primary location. One of the most relaxing experiences after a day of walking through the crowded streets of Bangkok, my personal masseuse's nimble fingers seemed to be able to gently stretch out and relax every tired muscle on my body. I experienced the Signature aroma oil massage treatment.
Lingers on
The charm of the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok lies in its ability to stay with you long after you have left. The genuine warmth and hospitality of the hotel and its people lingers on like an after glow. And it is the small little touches and the thoughtful additions that reminded me of my stay – like the fact that the restaurants in the hotel always remember your personal preferences and make sure the food is served exactly the way you'd want it every time you went there again, like the delicious desserts and a replenished tropical fruit basket that the butler leaves behind every night in your suite, and like the way a tourist map is presented to you just when you hesitate at the lobby, trying to mentally go over the plan for your day of sight-seeing…almost telepathic!
Of course, it is the people that eventually make a difference in the hospitality industry and the staff at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is a beautiful example. Take Chatchai Klompirom, the senior butler who serviced the room during my stay. A soft-spoken, middle-aged, local with eyes that shone of warmth and experience, he spoke immaculate English and gave me some of the best tips to make sure I could pack in the most experiences in the hotel and around the city.
You do expect the usual enquiry about your stay in the property. But, you will see the difference if the butler asked you that question while being candid about some of the criticisms from previous residents about the room missing the high-tech touches that some of the other luxury properties further along the river front might offer.
The genuineness of that question is just one example, amongst the many others which make you want to believe that every member of the staff at the Oriental strive to go beyond the norm. And the hotel rewards them with some of the most elaborate in-house staff facilities that I have ever seen.
It is kind of telling about this beautiful heritage property that you still have to use a key to open the door to any room or suite at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. There are no swipe cards. Guests don't come to stay here for the digital creature comforts that any other property in Bangkok can provide, but rather to appreciate the marriage between the oriental past and a cosmopolitan present that the Mandarin represents very much like the city it resides in.
You don't check-in to reside at the Oriental Bangkok, you check-in to experience it. That is the charm of the Grand Old Dame of the Chao Phraya.
Property: The Mandarin Oriental
Location: Oriental Avenue, Bangkok
Tariff: US $ 495 to $ 4,500
Current Promotions: The 135{+t}{+h} anniversary package with tariff starting from Thai Baht 11,799 (approximately Rs 17,000). Valid till September 31, 2011.
muraliswami@thehindu.co.in