Sofitel So Bangkok: SO very thoughtful

4/4/2015

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Bangkok, also known as The Big, is a lively Asian city. Visitors from The Big Durian, which is Jakarta, will be fascinated by its subtlety of flavours and famous friendly smiles. Perhaps the most beautiful smile in the city can be found at Sofitel So Bangkok.

Part French and part Thai, the sleek modern design of the 30-storey Sofitel So Bangkok embraces its European heritage while pulsating with Thai hospitality within the heart of the bustling capital of Thailand.

The hotel boasts in a panoramic view of the green expanse of Lumpini Park, enjoyable from every floor-to-ceiling window set against the backdrop of Bangkok’s urban skyline. It was for this picturesque scenery that the lobby unconventionally sits on the 9th floor. The space, adventurous yet cohesive, involved five Thai designers overlooked by renowned fashion designer Christian Lacroix. The sense of fashion-forwardness is mirrored by the staff’s sharp, stylish uniforms, which port the hotel’s Tree of Life emblem.

The conceptual design is based on the five elements of the ancient Asian philosophy and also from Lumpini Park: Water, Earth, Wood, Metal, and Fire. The designs of the restaurant and bar share the Fire element, with mood lighting and warm hues. The rooms, on the other hand, are thematically designed according to the remaining four elements. Though one room might share an element with its neighbors, they are distinct with their own unique design concepts.

Steps away from the doorsteps of each room’s thematic cluster is a 4-storey high atrium, a spacious area that provides the designers carte blanche to infuse into the design, their take to the elements. Metal rooms, for example, are smoothed out by sleek metallic surfaces, while Earth rooms are enclosed within royal blue walls that bear primeval paintings in fun, curvy frames.

Most of the rooms are equipped with a large, luxurious bathtub, and some with views of the city that will keep you soaked long enough until your fingers wrinkle. In fact, each room culminates into a breathtaking view of the city, park, or both.

The five distinguished interior designers who have taken part in the realization of Sofitel So Bangkok are Khun Pongthep Sagulku from August Design Consultant; Khun Vitoon Kunalungkarn from IAW; Khun Nithi Sthapitanonda from IA49; Khun Somchai Jongsaeng from Deca Atelier; and Khun Rujiraporn Wanglee from PIA. The hotel took pleasure in having its architecture sprearheaded by Khun Smith Obayawat of OBA Architect. The collaborative design effort deservingly won the'2013 HA+D Award for Design Excellence' accolade.

To the glory of the tech-savvy guests, Wi-Fi is accessible throughout the compound. The rooms come with a Mac Mini or iPad at guests’ disposal with integrated entertainment, and televisions with size comparable to the windows. Surely Sofitel So Bangkok couldn’t indulge in its reputation as one of the popular hotels in the capital without a stunning rooftop, home to the hotel’s restobar and a glass-walled pool perched high above the city reserved for the truly bold guests.

Sofitel So Bangkok, the city’s first urban designed hotel, is set to become the city’s most innovative integrated leisure and business venue, the place where design meets pleasure, technology meets comfort, and people engage with their peers.

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