Nestled amongst Bangkok’s historic palaces, temples and museums, and alongside the River of Kings lies this expansive 39-room luxurious retreat. Dubbed “The Siam”, this boutique gem is ready on three acres of premium river frontage, transporting visitors to a bygone serenity suffused with priceless antiquities, quintessential Thai attract and modern comforts. The Siam contains personal pool villas and distinctive entry to Bangkok’s historic palace district. At The Siam, visitors have the distinctive expertise of exploring Bangkok by boat from the lodge’s personal pier. Relating to rest, take pleasure in a pampering session at The Siam’s seductive spa or just unwind with a sundown cocktail on the lodge’s riverfront bar.

With a putting million-dollar reinvention, The Siam has pulled out all of the stops with regards to enhancing the aesthetics of its inside area together with a daring new black and light-weight gray checkered courtyard with a hovering glass pyramid roof. Trendy and purposeful, visitors are welcomed right into a temperature-controlled surroundings earlier than indulging in a very culinary expertise curtesy of The Siam’s signature Chon Thai Restaurant.

The Siam stands out for its capacity to satisfy the rising calls for of right now’s trendy traveller whereas concurrently staying true to honouring Thailand’s heritage. Real kindness, authenticity and a caring angle are all Siamese attribute that this lodge strives to keep up. Be it for an in a single day escape or final personal riverside journey, its no secret why The Siam was topped as one of many “most iconic accommodations of the final century” by Architectural Digest Journal. LUXUO speaks to Nick Downing, the overall supervisor at The Siam lodge to seek out out concerning the lodge’s distinctive choices, curated artworks and future plans for enlargement.

Inform us about your expertise in hospitality and the way it began?

Being an solely youngster of fogeys who travelled avidly, I suppose I used to be all the time destined to fall in love with accommodations and totally different cultures. Whereas I used to be at college learning Enterprise and Info Techniques, I really wrote to all of the five-star accommodations searching for an entry stage job. Fortunately Hyatt Regency Perth provided me the night time porter place and the remaining is historical past. I used to be learning throughout the day and dealing the nightshift. Hyatt was my hospitality basis; together with me in all their coaching packages and selling me by way of the ranks and ultimately ended up transferring me to Park Hyatt Canberra because the Entrance Workplace Supervisor. From a stable ten-year interval with Hyatt, alternatives opened forward of me to take superb positions starting from opening Palazzo Versace to superb experiences in Maldives, the Seychelles, Cambodia, Thailand and different nations across the Indian Ocean.

When did you be part of The Siam lodge?

I really joined The Siam household in late 2016.

What’s the DNA of The Siam lodge and the way does the lodge differentiate itself from different high-end boutique accommodations in Bangkok?

I all the time suppose phrases resembling “luxurious” and “boutique” are fairly generic phrases lately with out actual which means. I typically really feel “boutique” accommodations are all about fashion however by some means lacking soul or coronary heart. In the end it needs to be greater than a easy design. That being stated, we clearly have a surprising Invoice Bensley designed property within the royal district of Bangkok. Nonetheless I imagine the key is that we’re household owned and independently managed. The Sukosol household lead by Khun Kamala has all the time given us the liberty to do no matter it takes to succeed. Our major purpose is to make sure we’ve got glad visitors and a contented crew. This can in the end result in success as a property, creating an distinctive repute for crafting memorable experiences past merely checking out and in.

The Siam is thought for providing distinctive personal pool villas however what do your visitor love most at The Siam? 

We now have so many options on the lodge which differentiate us. Friends love the truth that we’ve got so many hidden corners to discover. Whether or not it’s the Vinyl Room with an incredible assortment of vinyl data to get pleasure from, or the personal screening room to get pleasure from watching that favorite film with your loved ones. Our Opium Spa which not solely includes a haven of unique area but in addition the chance to obtain a standard Sak Yant tattoo from a Grasp. Or maybe it’s the chance to get pleasure from a category with our chef by the river studying some key Thai recipes. Friends continually point out the sense of area all through the property. Most lodge designers or house owners would have put over 100 rooms on a website of this measurement, whereas The Siam was created to make sure a way of exclusivity and serenity, a real sanctuary to retreat to after a day exploring the frenetic power of Bangkok.

How straightforward is it to entry Bangkok’s vibrant metropolis centre utilizing the Chao Prayah river?

That is the important thing to the visitor expertise of The Siam. Friends reap the benefits of our personal water limousine than runs on a schedule all through the day for our visitors to discover key historic websites and head out  for superb meals or buying experiences. Journeys are organized by way of their butler and coordinated relying on their needs. Not solely does this escape Bangkok’s notorious site visitors snarls, it additionally ensures that visitors can precisely plan their day realizing they are going to get someplace or return to the lodge at a selected time, in the end maximising their time with us.

Each element at The Siam lodge tells a narrative with an emphasis on reinvigorating native craft, arts, tradition and neighborhood. Inform us extra about its exterior in addition to inside design and ornament.

The Siam was designed by Invoice Bensley who all the time has a way of drama to his properties. The Siam is now totally different and is kind of putting. A mix of Deco and Asian influences. Dramatic black and white scenes all through the lodge. Nonetheless as a consequence of each Bensley and the proprietor’s love for the reused and repurposed, the vintage and curious, the entire lodge offers the ambiance of and Lodge and Museum with its corridors and rooms full of paintings and antiques from round Asia and past. Proudly owning member of the family, Krissada Sukosol-Clapp is thought for continually adorning and styling areas across the property as he finds new items or inspiration. The most recent is the Bar at The Story Home which had taken a dramatic flip with crimson accented items and a gothic fashion chandelier. Each latest additions for the shock of our common visitors.

Inform us extra concerning the particular relationship between The Siam and Thai luxurious model Jim Thompson? 

In 2022, it was determined to transform our well-known Connie’s Cottage from a visitor villa into public area.  We had varied concepts what to do with the areas. Nonetheless it was proprietor Khun Kamala who recommended we open discussions with Jim Thompson (as an internationally recognised iconic thai model) to see if they might be serious about a proper collaboration to take over all or a part of the villa. This was particularly related as Jim Thompson options within the historical past of the 4 vintage Thai homes which can be on the property. We then had a dialogue with the incoming CEO Frank Cancelloni who was additionally trying to companion with different iconic Thai manufacturers. We ultimately got here to settlement for them to take the bottom flooring as a small retail area which might introduce our visitors on to the model with the thought to entice them to go to their revitalised and relaunched Heritage Quarter downtown. I’m happy to say the partnership and collaboration has been an amazing success for each events.

Learn Extra: Right here’s What Occurred on the Jim Thompson Heritage Quarter Grand Opening Get together

What The Siam has on provide on superb eating? 

Our signature restaurant is the riverside Chon Thai Restaurant. Nonetheless quite than taking place the “superb eating” route, we’ve got most popular to give attention to distinctive home-style delicacies for our visitors to get pleasure from the most effective flavours from Thailand whereas sitting within the historic environment of century-old wood Thai homes.

To counter this conventional Thai expertise; throughout the covid interval we selected to create a brand new eating expertise on the different finish of the lodge referred to as The Story Home. A putting Bensley designed renovation was accomplished and a dramatic collection of rooms full of Krissada’s antiques, artworks and furnishings created an area for visitors to expertise a menu of up to date culinary choices with flavours from world wide. Opening Government Chef, Blair Mathieson was purchased again to launch this restaurant and I’m delighted to see visitors get pleasure from a variety of choices with many plant primarily based specialities additionally.

Will The Siam expertise in Bangkok be reproduced in different components of Thailand? What are the plans for model enlargement?

In November 2019, we really introduced plans for The Siam Chiang Mai. The Sukosol household have bought an unbelievable website which lends itself to create an expertise distinctive for Chiang Mai. For us, it’s essential that any new visitor expertise we create in Chiang Mai (or elsewhere) can also be a logical and is a welcomed extension to the one we’ve got created in Bangkok. In the end Covid paused this venture and we hope to revisit this within the close to future and produce the venture to life.

Bangkok is quickly altering. What are among the challenges town is dealing with post-Covid in attracting extra vacationers from the Southeast Asian area and past?

The Bangkok skyline is altering day by day and is unrecognisable from ten years in the past. This features a multitude of latest lodge developments stretching from downtown to the riverside with extra to come back within the subsequent few years. The problem comes not solely from elevated native competitors but in addition from different nations and areas. Ease and value of journey to and from any nation is vital in addition to the protection and safety of travellers whereas visiting. Despite the fact that travellers have quick recollections and have a tendency to revert to outdated journey habits in a brief time frame, it’s also vital for any nation to be politically secure. Thailand continues to show its resilience and continues to look ahead with hope.

To finish this interview, inform us one secret that you’ve by no means shared about The Siam lodge? Maybe a hidden location or a secret expertise?

There may be not a time frame that we aren’t enthusiastic about the subsequent visitor expertise we create or elevate The Siam to new ranges. Whether or not it’s enhancing an area or in search of new methods to impress visitors. For instance we’re beginning a collaboration with a neighborhood photographer who has taken metallic plate classic portraits and we’re introducing this distinctive expertise for our visitors. I can’t share the precise particulars however we’re at the moment wanting on the feasibility of one other visitor expertise that may positively be a primary for any Bangkok or certainly any Thailand lodge. However sorry, you’ll have to watch for these particulars!

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