It’s somewhat telling that the enormous orchids in the foyer at the Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok are regularly replaced because, according to one of the hotel’s iconic ‘Ladies in Red’, guests think they’re too perfect to be real – so they touch them, leaving behind greasy stains. You could imagine the same happening to the impeccably designed property itself, an ultra-luxe address in Bangkok’s exclusive Langsuan neighbourhood.
Whenever a new hotel opens between Ratchadamri Road and Soi Ton Son, stakes are high. Five-star status runs through most developments in this embassy quarter, and only the most upscale urban resorts stand out. This helps explain why Kempinski’s second Bangkok address (following the Siam Kempinski) turned out to be the boldly designed, ultra-ambitious and utterly beguiling temple of luxury it is. Named Sindhorn Kempinski, the hotel offers a total of 274 rooms and suites steps away from lush Lumphini Park – although you might not want to leave the property.
We certainly found a lot to keep us busy as we explored the grounds after checking in. There is, for one, the hotel’s tranquil garden with a dedicated yoga section surrounded by old-growth trees that were preserved and replanted in keeping with Kempinski’s strict stance on sustainability. The gardens are particularly enchanting at night, although it’s the lobby, that takes home the award for most head-turning feature (literally, having received several accolades for its grandeur, including ‘Best Hotel Lobby Interior of Thailand’ and ‘Best International Hotel Lobby Interior’ by the International Property Awards). Conceived by P49 Deesign, the sun-flooded space houses a shrine-like structure, porcelain vases and the above-mentioned white orchids under a vaulted ceiling featuring a giant, built-in, oval window revealing the atrium above. Imagine a prayer hall conceptualised by Ridley Scott and furnished by a Parisian couturier, with afternoon tea served from 2pm.
Our Executive Suite had been given just as much attention. Thai accents like Benjarong porcelain and images of the ornate Buddhist mosaics of Wat Rajabopit brought Oriental opulence to a space designed to provide utmost comfort and convenience. Privacy is no less of a priority, and judging by the many long-term residents who stay at the Sindhorn Kempinski – from families from the UAE to ambassadors and Hong Kong businessmen and women – the hotel exceeds at this. Enter a lift and your key card will only work for your floor, bed down in your room at night and you’re in a soundproof environment protected by triple-glazed windows and noise-cancelling hollow spaces behind each wall.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Sophisticate | BKK / DMK | GMT +7 |
| While you’re Out There |
| While not around the corner, Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine is smack-bang in the middle of one of its best retail destinations, Ploen Chit Road. You can get here by tuk tuk within less than ten minutes (or walk in the heat at your own risk). Paying your respects and soaking up culture as it lives and breathes, with locals laying down flower garlands or saying a prayer, provides a wholesome distraction after a shopping spree. If you’re lucky, you might even catch the occasional dance performance here. |
Put simply, no expenses have been spared across the hotel’s accommodation options and you’ll notice this each time you pick up your room’s high-tech phone, close a cabinet with an automated non-slam mechanism or save yourself the time of looking for the right light switch (they have on/off indicators). We also particularly appreciated having a stone bench in our shower and an oversized bathtub with a view over the Thai capital’s glittering cityscape. High-gloss and ultra-plush, but never swanky: the same could be said about the hotel’s two-floor and 4,000 square-metre fitness facilities and Resense spa, perhaps Bangkok’s most advanced inner-city wellness destination, with a 25m cantilevered saltwater infinity sky-pool of metropolitan dreams.
While the gym had us covered with a virtual cycle studio featuring Les Mills classes, a HIIT studio with CrossFit and a virtual workout system, yoga, Pilates and Balanced Body equipment, we were on a mission to try as many of the Sindhorn Kempinski’s spa treatments are possible (and we wrote about it, too). Among them was an extensive thermal journey including salt saunas, a Rasul mud room, a tepidarium lounge and more, as well as a detox program with Dermalux facials and Pressotherapy to drain any remaining toxins from our body – by the time we were done, we felt as though we’d seen at least half of the spa’s 26 treatment rooms… not that we’re complaining!
Dining-wise, the Japanese Ki Izakaya sadly isn’t veg-friendly at all, so we tucked into a more versatile selection of foods at Flourish on the ground floor. All tastes are covered here, thanks to designated Thai, Mediterranean, pan-Asian and plant-based menus, though we found service not quite as attentive as you’d expect from a hotel of this calibre, and waiting times were on occasion rather long. When our meal did arrive, the kitchen had added cheese to it although we’d asked for it to be made dairy-free. In this day and age, getting dietary requirements wrong frankly isn’t just a small faux pas. The unabashedly glamorous Firefly Bar and Casa Del Habano cigar parlour across the lobby thankfully managed to lift our spirits – another design heavyweight, Firefly had our jaw drop to the floor and poured a yuzu cocktail down our throat. Suave.
What many a guest will no doubt remember fondly after a stay at the Sindhorn Kempinski is the sensation of spaciousness they encounter upon first walking into this urban resort’s foyer and looking up through the glass ceiling into a light-filled atrium above. It really sets the tone for the superlatives waiting to be experienced and savoured at what feels like one of the first properties of an entirely new generation of luxury hotels in our beloved Bangkok. But the smaller details have stayed with us, too: among these are the slit sleeve costumes worn by the hotel’s ‘Ladies in Red’ concierges, themselves an integral part of the Kempinski experience. Designed to convey elegance, refinement and a sense of place, the uniforms represent everything the hotel seeks to be. When we checked out, one of the Ladies told us the vivid red of the costumes also helps to make sure we won’t forget our stay here – as if we could forget.
Photography courtesy of Kempinski
