From indie boutique hotels to marble-clad five-star urban resorts with all the bells and whistles, Bangkok’s hotel scene has a retreat for every type of traveler. Classics like the Mandarin Oriental and the Peninsula are still going strong, while buzzed-about brands like the Standard (and soon, a hotel from the coveted luxury brand Aman) have entered the Thai capital with their unique takes on Thailand’s renowned hospitality. We’ve tried, tested, and rounded up Bangkok’s best hotels to book.
The Siam
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- What to expect: A cabinet of curiosities with lofty rooms and top-notch service
- Neighborhood: Dusit
Bangkok-based hotel designer Bill Bensley still refers to the Siam as one of the projects he’s most fond of, and it’s easy to see why. The fun of staying here starts well before check-in, when guests board a teakwood-trimmed boat from central Bangkok to the hotel’s pier, some 30 minutes upriver in the Dusit district. Upon arrival, the Siam unfurls like an art deco–styled cabinet of curiosities, with retro rockstar paraphernalia (the hotel’s co-owner Krissada Sukosol Clapp is a Thai pop musician) and glass-encased Buddha sculptures dating back to the 16th century.
Ancient Thai stilt houses, once the property of American silk magnate Jim Thompson, now double as the riverfront Thai restaurant, while a recent revamp of the lobby lounge changed it into a Mediterranean-inspired dining room with pinstriped floors and lush greenery. The 39 standard guest rooms, lofty abodes with quirky antiques, cloud-soft beds, and freestanding bathtubs, are larger than most Bangkok hotel suites. But it’s the 11 riverside villas that put the Siam in a league of its own, with rooftop sundecks, apartment-size bathrooms, and bamboo-fringed courtyards with private plunge pools.
The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon is located in the Sathorn neighborhood.
Courtesy of the Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon
The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon
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- What to expect: A bold departure from Bangkok’s traditional luxury hotels
- Neighborhood: Sathorn
Forget what you know about Bangkok’s traditional luxury hotels, because the Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, the Southeast Asian flagship of this fun-loving, Hollywood-born hotel group, flips the script on Thailand’s hospitality hallmarks. Instead of the fresh orchids and hallways lined with Thai latticework, this hotel-and-hangout has furnished its perch on the lower half of the pixel-twisted King Power Mahanakhon tower with a riot of curved corners, bold patterns, and eye-popping shades courtesy of Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon. Some of the 155 guest rooms open to snug balconies, and all come with enormous bathrooms clad in terrazzo and roly-poly furniture upholstered in mustard velour. Even if you’re not sleeping over, this hotel is worth a stop for the restaurants alone: Thailand’s first outpost of Hong Kong dim sum powerhouse Mott 32 takes over the second floor, while the gold-hued rooftop lounge on the 76th floor is home to the neo-Mexican restaurant Ojo, which books out weeks in advance.
The guest rooms at the Peninsula Bangkok are accented with teak and silk.
Courtesy of the Peninsula Bangkok
The Peninsula Bangkok
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- What to expect: A time-tested classic with standout guest experiences
- Neighborhood: Riverside
With its neutral, marble-and-teak interiors and silver-cutlery table settings, the Peninsula Bangkok might no longer be the pinnacle of haute hotel design, but this riverside stalwart has always remained ahead of the curve in other ways. The hotel’s commitment to contemporary art, for example, is admirable: Not only is it a recurring partner of the Bangkok Art Biennale, but it also hosts quarterly artist residencies where Thai talents take over a suite as their atelier to work on fresh exhibitions to be displayed throughout the property.
The hotel’s commitment to well-being is similarly forward-thinking and manifests as spa programs with guided meditation apps and Ayurvedic sleep patches or entirely plant-based tasting menus inspired by Chinese flavors in a secret vault–like dining room in Mei Jiang restaurant’s kitchen. It’s all topped off with an inspired activities calendar—all complimentary—ranging from early-morning yoga sessions at a nearby shrine to sourdough-making workshops. And while the Pen dates back to the late ’90s, its 367 silk-accented rooms feel classic rather than stuffy.
The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is known for its bell shaped chandeliers in the lobby.
Courtesy of the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
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- What to expect: The grandest of Bangkok’s grande dames
- Neighborhood: Riverside
Bangkok’s hotel scene has exponentially expanded since the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok opened as the Oriental hotel back in 1876. But even now, with plenty of cushy options to choose from, the hotel remains the address of choice for visiting dignitaries and international A-listers. And for good reason: With a 4:1 staff-to-guest ratio and personal butlers delivering silver coupes of coconut ice cream at the drop of a hat, the hotel’s service is unmatched.
As are the 11 bars and restaurants, including the French restaurant Le Normandie, with two Michelin stars; rattan-chaired jazz institution the Bamboo Bar; and the new Thai diner Baan Phraya, set in a wooden cottage across the river. In 2019, a top-to-toe refurb and fresh paint saw the rooms in the River Wing shed their frumpy red color scheme for a jewel-hued palette of floral prints and warm teak. Meanwhile, the split-level suites in the Garden Wing remain timelessly elegant with their river-framing picture windows and walls covered in sepia-toned photographs of the district.
The villas at the Capella Bangkok are set along the Chao Phraya River.
Courtesy of Capella Bangkok
Capella Bangkok
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- What to expect: A low-rise, high-end riverside retreat
- Neighborhood: Riverside
Wedged between the chocolate-brown Chao Phraya River and Bangkok’s oldest paved road, the 101-room Capella Bangkok delivers a whole lot of bang for a whole lot of baht. Butlers—the hotel calls them Capella Culturists—can arrange everything from chef-led street food tours to meditation classes with local monks, while Côte, the Michelin-cred restaurant, is a coastal-Mediterranean dining room spearheaded by Mirazur’s Mauro Colagreco. But Capella wows even high-fliers with perks the Thai capital hasn’t seen before. Cases in point: Suites on the third floor open to roomy balconies with lounge areas and a private plunge pool, while the stand-alone villas bordering the communal courtyard are tucked away in tropical gardens with private pools that end right on the waterfront.
The Sukhothai Bangkok guest rooms are clad in teakwood.
Sven Ellsworth / Sukothai Bangkok
The Sukhothai
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- What to expect: A Thai mashup of teakwood, orchids, and miniature stupas
- Neighborhood: Sathorn
Spearheaded by legendary hotelier Adrian Zecha, who later founded the Aman hotel empire, the Sukhothai is an all-time favorite. Even after 30 years in business, the straight-lined but succinctly Thai design by fellow Aman stalwarts Ed Tuttle and Kerry Hill remains relevant, and regular retouches throughout the years have kept this Bangkok mainstay in tip-top shape. Loyal guests return for the spacious, teakwood accented rooms that deliver views over the hotel’s serene lotus ponds and gardens filled with birdsong—a world away from the downtown bustle just outside the hotel lobby. At Celadon, the hotel’s Thai restaurant set in a lily-fringed pavilion, dinners of yum som-o pomelo salad and coconutty tom ka gai are served with a side of traditional Thai khon dance performances.
The Rosewood Bangkok’s guest rooms overlook the Phloen Chit neighborhood.
OWEN RAGGETT / Rosewood Bangkok
Rosewood Bangkok
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- What to expect: A home away from home in the middle of Bangkok
- Neighborhood: Phloen Chit
Few hotels manage to nail the home-away-from-home vibe like Rosewood Bangkok; its 158 guest rooms and suites feel like penthouse apartments, thanks to stacks of coffee table books, candy-filled ceramic jars, and coveted amenities like Dyson hair dryers in the marble bathrooms. But the hotel-y bits are no afterthought: Rooms come with private butlers, the plant-fringed indoor-outdoor saltwater pool is a stunner, and the buffet breakfast in the airy Lakorn lounge is decadent (don’t miss the yogurt speckled with fresh vanilla). For dinner, Nan Bei is a velvet-clad jewel box specializing in real-deal southern (nan) and northern (bei) Chinese food, and cocktail spot Lennon’s on the top floor doubles as an uber-cool vinyl listening bar.
The Park Hyatt Bangkok rooftop bar delivers panoramic views of the city.
Courtesy of Park Hyatt Bangkok
Park Hyatt Bangkok
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- What to expect: A cream-colored hideaway high above the ritzy Phloen Chit district
- Neighborhood: Phloen Chit
Towering above the Phloen Chit district, the Yabu Pushelberg–designed Park Hyatt Bangkok was an instant hit when it opened on the top floors of the Central Embassy building in 2017. Its rooms and suites, all slightly different in size and layout due to the curves of the building, are soothingly neutral with touches of orange and contemporary Thai art. They come with spa-like bathrooms stocked with bergamot-scented Le Labo toiletries, while floor-to-ceiling windows frame dazzling downtown views. Penthouse Bar + Grill, the rooftop hangout designed like a swanky bachelor pad Jay Gatsby would’ve loved, is a solid spot for sundowners. Since mid-2022, the Embassy Room downstairs turns into a Spanish diner after breakfast and dishes up Catalan fare such as octopus with sofrito sauce and trinxat potato mash with Iberico pork. And if you’re after more options, the food courts and restaurants of Central Embassy, one of Bangkok’s chicest malls, are only an elevator ride away.
The Chann Bangkok Noi is a collection of small teakwood homes along the Chao Phraya River.
Courtesy of Chann Bangkok Noi
Chann Bangkok Noi
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- What to expect: A teakwood village within a village away from the Bangkok bustle
- Neighborhood: Bangkok Noi
Boutique bolthole Chann sits right across the Chao Phraya River from Bangkok’s postcard sights Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, but its low-slung neighborhood feels like a different city altogether. Hidden at the end of a labyrinthine jumble of banana groves and residential alleys, the hotel is built as a small enclave of teakwood homes on a half-acre plot on the confluence of the Chao Phraya and the Bangkok Noi canal. Thai restaurant IMM (try the chef’s nine-course tasting menu) and specialty coffee shop Arch take over the breezy ground floor of one of the structures, while the upstairs area and other structures are reserved for Chann’s 18 pared-back but cozy guest rooms furnished with natural-hued textiles and midcentury modern–inspired furniture of leather and teak.
The guest rooms at the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok have views of the buzzing Siam neighborhood.
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Bangkok
Waldorf Astoria Bangkok
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- What to expect: An oasis in the heart of Bangkok’s mall-packed commercial district
- Neighborhood: Siam
Step into the hydrangea-scented lobby of the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok and the buzz of Siam, Bangkok’s cacophonous commercial district, feels miles away. For its first Southeast Asian outpost, the luxury Hilton brand tapped hot-shot hotel designer André Fu, who melded the art deco touches of Waldorf Astoria’s New York flagship with minimalist riffs on Thai latticework and tropical silks. Room sizes among the 171 accommodations vary, but all come with huge travertine marble bathrooms and views of either the Royal Bangkok Sports Club or the shrine-lined, incense swirled Ratchaprasong intersection (both if you book a corner suite). The Loft, a paint-splotched cocktail bar on the 56th floor, is a favorite drinking den of clued-in Bangkokians, while Bull & Bear, one floor down, draws crowds for its excellent steaks.
The Bangkok Publishing Residence guest rooms are located in a former publishing house.
Courtesy of the Bangkok Publishing Residence
Bangkok Publishing Residence
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- What to expect: Old-school cool with mod cons
- Neighborhood: Rattanakosin
The clue is in the name of Bangkok Publishing Residence, an eight-room bed-and-breakfast occupying a—you guessed it—former publishing house in the temple-studded Rattanakosin district. The hotel, which opened in 2017, chimed in a new era for Lan Luang Road, the busy, but at the time rather uninteresting thoroughfare where the hotel is located. It’s the vision of Panida Tosnaitada, whose grandparents printed and distributed the popular Bangkok Weekly magazine from this block of shophouses in the 1960s. The adults-only property doubles as a museum with antique printing presses, rare magazine volumes, and retro arcade games. The building’s original wire-cage elevator still whisks guests and luggage between the four floors where timeworn leather furnishing lends a nostalgic touch. But such modern creature comforts as gel mattress toppers and a rooftop Jacuzzi tub pitch the hotel firmly in the 21st century. Since the hotel opened, cafés like Eden’s and Alex & Beth have turned this stretch into one of the area’s most exciting hangouts.
