The St. Regis Bangkok

Right in the heart of Bangkok's madness, the St. Regis is a tranquil oasis. The hotel's contemporary interiors feature lots of high-quality woods, fabrics, and marble, and the property is decorated with numerous Thai paintings, sculptures, and antiques. Guests enter the via the ground-floor foyer, with tall windows and enter an elevator to the 12th-floor lobby, an impressive space with high ceilings, marble walls, and a staircase. The immediate impression is sleek and sexy, though the abundance of dark wood tones, grays, and deeper shades keep things feeling sober and serious as well. Check in takes place at seated reception desks where guests are offered cool welcome drinks. From there, the hotel has an abundance of its own luxe social spaces. The outdoor pool is surrounded by tropical greenery and is constructed of a striking black granite, with white Thai-style pillars surrounding the water. The deck has poolside bar service and offers views of the neighboring Royal Bangkok Sports Club. The hotel's signature St. Regis Bar is housed in an atmospheric room with high ceilings, dark wood floors, and a long black marble bar. The St. Regis draws well-heeled leisure travelers as well as business types, who benefit from the extensive meeting facilities and location near corporate buildings and financial institutions. 

The St. Regis Bangkok is on Ratchadamri Road across from the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. The hotel is a little off the beaten path for access to major cultural sights and the Chao Phraya river, but the Ratchadamri BTS Skytrain and bus station are adjacent to the hotel for access to points beyond. Several corporate headquarters and financial institutions are in the area, and shopping at Siam Square, MBK Center, and Central World mall are all within a 10-minute BTS ride or 10- to 15-minute walk from the St. Regis. Patpong Night Market and the trendy Silom area is about 10 minutes away by train, as is the Jim Thompson House, with its old Thai buildings. Lumpini Park offers lush lawns, playgrounds, and a lake with boating and is a 10-minute walk. The St. Regis is about a 30- to 45-minute drive from Suvarnabhumi Airport, or a little under 40 minutes by Airport Rail Link from Ratchaprarop Station (a seven-minute drive or bus ride from the hotel). Don Mueang International Airport is a between a half hour and an hour away by car from the hotel. Keep in mind that traffic in Bangkok is some of the world's worst, and drive times are speculative at best.

The 228 rooms and suites at the St. Regis occupy floors 13-22 of a 47-story building. Despite an array of room categories, style is fairly uniform across the board: a sober, sharp, and contemporary look with just the right amount of visual drama. Rooms feature a brown, beige, gray, and cream color palette. Fine wood furniture is in abundance, including polished wood floors, while boldly patterned area rugs add just a touch of decorative flair. Thai silks, with intricate patterns, are used in wall panels and blend seamlessly with the sexy, yet restrained, atmosphere. All rooms come with twice-daily housekeeping, turndown service, large desks, minibars, and 42-inch flat-screen TVs with a good range of English and satellite channels. Some rooms and suites have some combination of DVD players (the hotel has DVD library), living areas with sofas, and cocktail or dining tables. Certain suites have 50-inch TVs, wine coolers, pantries, and guest powder rooms, while the Penthouse and Residences offer kitchens. Views of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the city skyline are available from some rooms. Beds are excellent, with the St. Regis' own brand of thick mattresses plus down comforters and Egyptian cotton linens. Each floor has one butler who serves as the guests' main point of contact during their stay, and the service is available 24 hours a day. Butler duties include ironing, shoe shining, delivering coffee, packing and unpacking luggage, and running errands. The spacious bathrooms are clad in marble and offer separate rainfall showers and deep soaking tubs, though some of the shower stalls could use a deep scrub. Some suites have second bathrooms. Rooms come in smoking and non-smoking categories, and all public spaces are non-smoking. 

The St. Regis offers a superb array of facilities. The long outdoor lap pool is set in a courtyard with lush tropical plants and offers a view of the city and neighboring Royal Bangkok Sports Club racecourse and golf course. The pool bar has an all-day menu and poolside service, and a shallow kids' pool is situated next to the main pool. There's also an elegant, stylish spa offering a wide range of treatments, with a marble-and-mosaic wet room, egg-shaped hanging relaxation pods, separate relaxation areas for men and women, steam rooms, hot tubs, and cold plunge pools. The spa also has a foot-massaging wading pool and special showers that allow for personalized water pressure, lighting, and music. The top-notch fitness center features a personal attendant and a wide array of high-end weight and cardio equipment. Each cardio machine has an individual TV and heart-rate monitor.Drinking and dining options are excellent as well. The hotel serves a high-quality breakfast buffet (for a fee), with champagne, mascarpone French toast, an egg station, sushi, smoked salmon, and baked goods. The New York-style bistro features live cooking stations and there's also a fine Italian restaurant. It has an extensive wine list, an Italian coffee lounge, an elegant drawing room with piano music, afternoon tea, and a wine lounge with skyline views. The hotel's signature St. Regis Bar serves the chain's iconic Bloody Mary with local flavors. Other offerings include 24-hour limo service (for a fee), a dedicated concierge, a business center, multiple meeting rooms, wedding services, and free valet parking and property-wide Wi-Fi.