In March 2019, I checked into the newly-open King Bed Deluxe at Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, which is situated in the bustling and colourful Nana neighbourhood in the downtown Sukhumvit area. The 273-room property is conveniently connected via sky bridge to Nana BTS Station and just a few stops away from Chit Lom and Siam BTS stations where major shopping centres such as CentralWorld, Siam Discovery Centre and Siam Paragon are located.
The hotel joins Park Hyatt Bangkok, Waldorf Astoria Bangkok and Rosewood Bangkok in a series of high profile hotel openings in the past few years and an increasingly competitive luxury hospitality scene in the Land of Smiles.
The UTW (“Under Ten Words”): Comfortable, black and gold modern Thai house in Nana.
The must-dos (if any): Unwind at the rooftop Spectrum Lounge & Bar, have lunch at Market Cafe.
THE HOTEL
Designed by award-winning Bangkok-based architecture firm OBA, with interior design courtesy of local interior design company PIA, the hotel is housed within a futuristic, glass-covered structure, with its highest points opening outward in manner of a Shakespearean-style Elizabethan collar. Conceived as a modern Thai house and decked in shades of brown, black and gold, the space plays it all contemporary luxury residential, with various design elements paying tribute to past golden eras in Thai history. Elegant sculptures and specially commissioned art pieces add flashes of visual drama amidst the dignifiedly sombre proceedings – a gold sculpture in the hotel lobby of two people in mid-embrace reinterprets quite literally the meaning of “2 Become 1”, while elsewhere an attention-commanding painting at the elevator lobby depicting various Thai female figures features one very life-like bluish dame whose accusatory gaze bores right into the recesses of your soul.
The hotel’s recreational and fitness facilities – an outdoor freeform swimming pool with sun-beds and jacuzzi whirlpools as well as a 24-hour fitness centre – are located on the lushly-landscaped 6th level.
Guests seeking authentic local street fare need not look beyond the hotel’s Market Café (quelle surprise!), but those seeking to take in the sights and sounds of the occasionally…sensual Nana neighbourhood (I observed certain enhancement pharmaceuticals and intimacy entertainment tools sold casually on sale along the streets, as well as well-endowed Jessica Rabbit tribute acts sashaying down the street in manner of Right Said Fred song) can check out some of the local joints along the Sukhumvit stretch. (The direct sky bridge connection to Nana BTS Station allows one to evade the district’s fun-loving jovialities.) Guests who crave Indian comfort food will find the neighbourhood a treasure trove of options.
KING BED DELUXE
Overlooking the Sukhumvit area through floor-to-ceiling windows, the comfortably spacious 57sqm King Bed Deluxe plays it all understated residential furnishings and muted colours. The room includes a sizeable daybed with coffee tables as well as a walk-in closet, while the work station/dining table next to the wall-mounted television thoughtfully comes with two chairs instead of one.
The pantry is equipped with Chai Dim tea sachets and a Capristta Z capsule machine with Segafredo and Boncafe capsules. Snacks (including one very tempting bag of Tom Yum Crisp Cashew Nuts) as well as a modest range of non-alcoholic beverages are available in the mini-bar. A notable feature of the mini-bar is that everything is priced the same for your ease of arithmetic (which may explain the absence of in-room alcoholic selections).
The bathroom has a vanity and separate dresser with attached hairdryer, a happily roomy walk-in shower with rainshower facilities which can likely fit four people (or three bears) seeking a mutual scrub-down after a particularly wet Songkran excursion, as well as a floor-to-ceiling window-side freestanding bathtub for exhibitionistic lathering. The verbena-scented bathroom amenities are from Portico, one of Hyatt’s longstanding partners for bathroom products.
DINING AND BARS
Breakfast is served at Market Café, the authentic Thai concept located on the 4th level which is blessed with expanse of space and an abundance of natural sunlight, courtesy of the wonderfully tall floor-to-ceiling windows. The breakfast buffet comprises an extensive selection of Thai, Japanese, Indian and Chinese selections alongside your usual Western breakfast fare, with a noodle station, a carving station for a meatier morning as well as a gorgeous juice bar with a nice range of exotic local fruits for freshly squeezed bespoke creations. Both indoor and outdoor seats are available, although the window-side wooden counter seats are my favourite.
While breakfast at Market Café was a relatively happy affair, it did not rival the quality of my lunch meal which was startlingly, astoundingly good, not just in value (especially given the Hyatt Regency hotel setting) but also in the unadulterated authenticity of its offerings. It was a rare experience having tasty, unpretentious and very affordably priced street fare in a comfortable, air-conditioned environment. The Stir-fried Flat Noodle, Prawn, Shrimp Paste, Long Bean was greasy joy ahoy, whilst elsewhere the Northern Egg Noodle Curry, Chicken, Coconut Milk, Pickles, Chilli Paste was an uncommon find and the Stir-fried River Prawn quite the sticky, garlic-happy skirmish. My favourite (a biased decision, given this is one of my all-time favourite Thai dishes) was the boneless Steamed Sea Bass, Lime, Garlic, Chilli, Parsley, a spicily tart vixen of a dish with the tenderest and most absorbent of flesh.
The hotel’s ground floor Lobby Lounge provides a casual, relaxed setting for afternoon tea and light meal options, with the bar offering your choice of night-time tipples.
Located on the highest floors of the hotel and designed by award-winning Japanese interior design firm Super Potato, the three-storey and multi-faceted rooftop Spectrum Lounge & Bar offers different experiences across its different spaces, playing it all luxurious Thai penthouse meets chill-out rooftop alfresco club. The earthy 29th floor indoor space sees a plush living room-esque area with an open kitchen and private bar, while the two-storey alfresco terrace spanning levels 30 and 31 offers a sprawling open deck with an infinity-style bar counter (you stare past the bartenders into the inky Bangkok night sky), huge curtained daybeds for sexy whispers as well as a variety of seating arrangements from booth to high-chair. Cocktails are generally more playful than serious – think Mad Mango (chili-infused vodka, mango puree, spicy mango, elderflower, lime, chili and salt) and Giant Pandan (vodka, Midori, grapefruit juice, pandan, lime, egg white & bitters) – while those seeking to nosh can choose from comfort tapas-style options such as Soft Shell Crab, Pork Ribs and Steak & Fries.
Soundtracked by the live DJ working the deck from above next to the projector screen displaying hypnotic, neo-WinAmp, neon-laser visuals on loop, with forceful gusts of wind teasing both your locks of hair as well as the openings of your respective buttoned shirts, Spectrum Lounge & Bar presents quite the definitive rooftop bar experience.
REGENCY CLUB
As the Regency Club on the 27th level was not ready during my stay (it would eventually launch one week later), guests with club access were hosted at a specially cordoned off area of the Market Café/4th level during cocktail hour.
While the alcohol aspect of the lounge was fairly modest, the canapes (several of which which are actually available in adult form on Market Café’s a la carte menu) were surprisingly impressive. The cold cuts such as their Spicy Chicken Salad and Rice Noodle with Pork fared less strongly (although the Pomelo Salad with Crab was a succulent, sweet and spicy delight), but the hot a la minute orders – essentially comforting, authentic Thai street fare – were boldly and confidently true to their resolve, without any Western-targeted dilution of flavours or pandering involved. Guests can choose from thirteen different menu orders ranging from the tantalisingly feisty Spicy Tiger Prawn Salad with Chilli Paste and tender Deep Fried Chicken in Pandan Leaf, Sesame Black Sweet Sauce to the deliriously addictive and gelatinously crunchy Deep-fried Sesame Pork Neck, Spicy Sauce.
This was one of the few occasions where the quality of the executive lounge canapes was so high, I over-ate before my scheduled dinner.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
While this hotel offers a different experience from the ultra-luxury stylings of Rosewood Bangkok or Park Hyatt Bangkok for guests scanning the newest properties in Bangkok, the hotel fulfils its promise of a modern Thai house and then some, with the residential comfort of the room and genuine soul of the Market Café’s offerings truly offering a hospitable Thai welcome. A recommended property if you’re seeking a comfortable and fuss-free Hyatt property in Bangkok.
Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit
1 Sukhumvit Soi 13 (BTS Nana),
Bangkok, Bangkok Metropolitan,
Thailand, 10110
This review was written at the invitation of Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit.
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