Le Meridien Bangkok

A new emphasis on design finds the recent-vintage Le Méridien Bangkok looking much more modern than the standard business-luxury hotel. Neutral tones abound, as is the custom when catering to a wide range of nationalities and tastes, but here they’re livened up with accents in bright red upholstery, or the occasional surface of highly figured wood. You might expect a certain sameness from a 24-story tower hotel, and it’s a shame to find it, especially in a city as vibrant as Bangkok — so it’s heartening to discover that Le Méridien so ably rises to the challenge, with the atmosphere and the distinctive visual spark of a much smaller hotel.

And perhaps it is small, by luxury-hotel standards — but with just shy of three hundred rooms, it’s no boutique either. This allows for a wide range of accommodation styles, from the simple and chic Vista rooms to the oddball Circular rooms (just what they sound like) and on up to the Avantgarde and Grande Avantgarde suites. It also allows for the usual full complement of luxury-hotel extras: spa, gym, meeting rooms and a selection of restaurants and bars. Finally a five-star that feels as alive as the city it calls home.