Waldorf Astoria, Bangkok
After 125 years, the Waldorf Astoria will finally plant its flag in South-East Asia come the third quarter of 2018. Its city of choice? Bangkok, where it will roost in the THB11 billion Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard. First impressions matter and the Waldorf is pulling out all the stops. For one, famed Hong Kong architect Andre Fu has been roped in to lend his eye for this Asian-inspired Waldorf Astoria. The 42-year-old architect (who barely looks a day past 21) who dresses in brogues (opting for low-slung socks that stay below the pinking) and an unusual jacket with concealed buttons, is no stranger to the Waldorf – his earliest memories of it being the art décor elements of the flagship New York landmark. Departing from the Waldorf’s proclivity for gilded opulence, Fu has given the Bangkok property a decidedly more contemporary treatment, sliding in the occasional Thai accent to lend the 171-room-and-suite property a sense of place. Take for example the Front Room, an 80-seater restaurant serving Thai-inspired Nordic cuisine, which will see diners gathering under a cascading installation of 100 glass lanterns suspended from a double-height ceiling, a feature inspired by the Loi Krathong lantern festival.
