Be our guest
There’s a room in The Siam that is quite extraordinary. On the Lobby Level of the Main Residence, just to the left of the triple-storey Atrium with its vertically soaring palms, is the Library. In immaculate glass shelves and display tables is an amazing collection worthy of the British Museum – ancient Thai pottery dating all the way back to 2100 BC, antique cameras of all sizes and makes, rare first-edition tomes on Thailand, and perfectly preserved curios and paraphernalia. More than just a display, there is something so personal about the space that it feels like you have just walked into a private mansion.
Nestled in a quiet street by the riverside in Bangkok’s royal district of Dusit, that atmosphere evoked at The Siam isn’t accidental. Many hotels can claim to feel like home, but here that feeling is palpable; this isn’t just any home, but one of impeccable provenance. Conceived by Krissada Sukosol Clapp, of the ‘musical hoteliers’ Sukosol dynasty, The Siam was envisioned not just as a hotel, but also a repository for his (and his family’s) substantial collection of antiques. With the help of architects Bill Bensley and Khemvadee Paopanlerd, Krissada built The Siam from scratch. The main influences being Art Deco motifs and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the property feels like the sort of Beverly Hills high society mansion created during Hollywood’s Golden Age, best appreciated from the courtyard as you gaze up at the Mansion Residence’s imposing façade.
Eclectic and esoteric, the Sukosol family’s treasure trove is lovingly dotted across The Siam. A cluster of priceless Buddha statues here, taxidermies of exotic birds there, and in a private alcove on the first floor, an antique gramophone and an extensive collection of vinyl records, including those of the family matriarch, Kamala Sukosol. These relics add colour to the interior space, done in a dramatic black-and-white palette, carefully curated to specifically evoke the grandest historical period of Thailand, the reign of King Rama V (1853-1910). That injection of history could almost be overpowering, but the designers were smart enough to have it stop at the doors of The Siam’s 39 suites and villas. Here character retreats slightly to allow the guest to imbue their personality into a more minimalist space, which is all crisp linen, spruce furnishings and colonial charm. This is true of the 28 suites in the Main Residence, the 10 poolside villas (accessed through immense antique wooden doors) and the incredible Connie’s Cottage, a century-old wooden house once owned by silk merchant Jim Thompson brought downriver from Ayutthaya and reassembled here.
A personal butler attends to your every need at The Siam, miraculously appearing just as you need them when exploring the sprawling property. And there is a lot to see. The fully-equipped gym, for example, has a unique Muay Thai ring, where private lessons of Thai kickboxing can be arranged. The lowest level of the Main Residence houses the ataractic treatments of the Opium Spa, along with a sak yant parlour, where guests can seal protection with a Thai yantra tattoo. Venturing beyond the main building, past the individual poolside villas, leads you to the mighty Chao Phraya, and one of the river’s few permanent piers in private hands. From here, The Siam’s private boat can whisk you away, in search of temples, libation and a taste of the real Bangkok that the hotel will be happy to arrange for you.
Or you could just stay by the riverside, watching the sun trace its way West in the Jay Gatsby-worthy pool, sipping on cocktails in hidden nooks enclosed by shrubbery. Small and perfectly formed, the variegated design of the pool manages to magnify the space, a magnetic invitation to plunge. From here, just across the lawn, is the hotel’s restaurant, Chon Thai, housed in a restored teakwood house that was formerly the property of Thai socialite (and spy) Connie Mangskau. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served here, and if you’re interested, an immersion into Thai cuisine with the resident chef. Behind Chon Thai is a mysterious cube of reflective glass. Entering transports you into the jazzy ambiance of the Deco Bar & Bistro, a most transformational space to spend the evening, where flapper dresses, tailcoats and Aviation cocktails would fit in perfectly.
Throughout the experience at The Siam, there is a pervading sense that you are not just a client, by a revered guest of the Sukosol family, with the attentive service and hallowed status that confers. There is just something about this beautiful hotel that induces a cosy, charming feeling that is equal parts imposing and inviting. Many hotels can claim to achieve this; yet somehow The Siam just does it effortless. And that, just like its collection of antiques, is extraordinary.
