Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok completes renovation of Authors' and Garden Wings

Source: Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. The Authors' Wing at dusk.

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok has completed a comprehensive renovation of the historic Authors’ and Garden Wings. Designed to significantly enhance the facilities and services of this award winning hotel, the renovation has restored the historic heart of the property to its original splendour. The project comprised a room reconfiguration resulting in the creation of new spacious suites, including a Grand Royal Suite in the Authors’ Wing and twelve suites with balconies in the Garden Wing.

The six-bedroom, 600 sq m Grand Royal Suite is Bangkok’s grandest presidential suite and occupies the entire first floor of the renowned Authors’ Wing, which was the original Oriental Hotel, built in 1876. The suite has private elevator access and incorporates the one-bedroom, 315 sq m Royal Suite and the adjoining 165 sq m Ambassador Suite with two bedrooms, as well as three further separate guest rooms for an entourage.

Source: The Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.
The Ambassador's Suite.

There are ample stately meeting and hosting spaces, including a formal lounge, a second living room, a study and a dining room for twelve guests with a fully equipped kitchen and a bar pantry. A light-filled Victorian-inspired glass conservatory offers further dining for six guests and relaxed lounge seating. The 140-year-old building’s restored original open balcony affords stunning vistas over the tropical gardens of the Authors’ Wing and the River of Kings.

The new 80 sq m Garden Suites, some with split level layout, all boast floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river and gardens and include a lounge, dining room, pantry, powder room and a balcony. The bedroom features a large marble bathroom with separate bathtub, a walk-in shower, double vanity and a walk-in closet. The suites’ contemporary interior design combines the hotel’s unique colonial inspired heritage and Thai culture.

The Le Normandie French fine dining restaurant has also been rejuvenated with a contemporary interpretation of its original grandeur. The new interior preserves the classic elegance of one of Asia’s best loved French restaurants, together with striking new features such as handcrafted chandeliers.

The Authors’ Lounge, a favourite traditional destination for afternoon tea, society weddings and elegant events – has been restored to its classic late-nineteenth-century design and has been further extended to flow seamlessly through to the hotel’s riverside terrace and gardens via four salons named after famous authors who were guests of the hotel: Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham, Noël Coward and James Michener. Here the hotel’s longstanding affinity with the literary world is exemplified with images of these literary greats juxtaposed with scenes taken at the hotel during those eras, quotations from their books, and in some cases, signed books on display.

Interested?

Celebrate Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok’s 140th anniversary in 2016 in Oriental style with an exclusive two-night consecutive stay that includes luxurious accommodation with personal butler service, daily buffet breakfast for two at The Verandah, and afternoon tea for two at the historic Authors’ Lounge. Guests will also receive Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok’s commemorative homemade jam in 140th anniversary packaging. Make a booking

InterContinental Dubai Marina opens advance bookings for Marina Social

Source: InterContinental
Dubai Marina. Atherton.

The InterContinental Dubai Marina has shared the official opening date and advance bookings for Marina Social and The Social Room, UK Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton’s debut restaurant in the region. Bookings are now accepted for the restaurant and bar opening in the heart of Dubai Marina, which opens on 4 September.

Marina Social will bring Jason Atherton’s deformalised fine dining to the recently opened InterContinental Dubai Marina. Atherton’s growing portfolio of 'Social’ restaurants include locations in London, Hong Kong, New York and now the first in the Middle East.

“Simply put, I love Dubai,” said Atherton. “I first worked in Dubai more than 10 years ago and the city holds a lot of special memories for me, especially because it’s where I met my wife Irha – so it was always an ambition to return and open up my own restaurant.

“Dubai has such a vibrant lifestyle scene as well as fantastic food, and I want Marina Social to be a destination for both, whether you’re having dinner in the restaurant or sundowners on the terrace. I’m hoping Marina Social will become one of the best restaurants in Dubai.”

Marina Social will offer British-Mediterranean styled dishes that use the finest ingredients with the creative flair and culinary expertise that Atherton’s restaurants are known for. Leading the team is chef patron Tristin Farmer and general manager David Vindis, both of whom have been with the ‘Social’ family in London.

“Marina Social and The Social Room are as vibrant and cosmopolitan as the Dubai Marina,” said Michael Martin, General Manager at InterContinental Dubai Marina. “At InterContinental Dubai Marina we are very proud and excited to house such an exquisite dining concept, promising an atmosphere that will blend perfectly with the hotel’s contemporary vibe and Marina neighborhood,” he concluded.

Marina Social will open daily for dinner with indoor and al fresco terrace seating. 

Interested?

Advance bookings for dinner at Marina Social can be made from 2 August 2015 by calling +971 (0) 4446 6664. The first tables are available from 6pm to 11.30pm from Friday 4 September 2015.

NEXT Hotel Brisbane offers smartphone-based room access

SilverNeedle Hospitality’s flagship NEXT Hotels brand is redesigning the guest experience with DOCOMO interTouch, offering guests more freedom and control with mobile guest services through the NEXT App mobile app. 

Part of that new freedom includes enabling the first NEXT Hotels property in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall to allow guests to open their room doors using their smartphones as room keys. NEXT Hotel Brisbane, which accepted guests from 24 September, is the first hotel in Australia to offer such a service.

Source: Next Hotel Brisbane website.

"Our NEXT Hotels brand is dedicated to providing the ultimate guest experience, and that requires us to effectively combine the use of space, technology and service to ensure that every moment is memorable and stress-free," said Iqbal Jumabhoy, Managing Director and Group CEO of Singapore-based SilverNeedle Hospitality. "It's all about giving travellers the freedom to choose how they want to experience our hotels.”

SilverNeedle Hospitality is also launching the NEXT App, which contains the "room key". The NEXT App, available in both Android and iOS versions, works with free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel to allow guests to request hotel services through their smartphones – from making a room reservation, entering the room, controlling in-room gadgets and ordering room service, to checking out of the hotel. 

Prior to arriving at NEXT Hotel Brisbane, guests can check in using the NEXT App; select their preferred rooms or accept the pre-assigned rooms; and receive their own room key codes on their smartphones, bypassing the conventional check-in process to get to their rooms.

"The NEXT Hotels are truly innovative in their delivery of guest technology and they have been a real pleasure to work with," said Charles Reed, CEO of DOCOMO interTouch.

The NEXT App interconnects all the systems and services with the hotel so guests do not have to be physically in their hotel rooms to manage their stay. The integrated NEXT Technology allows them to change the TV channel, set the mood lighting, adjust the room temperature or order their next meal. If they don’t want the housekeeping staff to freshen up their rooms, they can activate the ‘Do Not Disturb’ indicator even when they are away from the hotel. Guests can also watch their favourite movies and stream their desired content securely on the Samsung Smart TV available in every room.

Guests who prefer not to use their own smartphones during their stay can use the NEXT App on Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones as part of the NEXT Connect service that is provided in every NEXT Room at no extra charge. This NEXT Connect App also has features that can be used outside the hotel. The HotSpot feature provides free WiFi for guests’ smartphones and laptops outside the hotel, for example. 

The phone system also provides access to free local calls and cheaper international calling rates with no additional roaming charges. Plus, the NEXT Service offers online concierge assistance to book a taxi around the city, order room service on their way back to the hotel or make an in-room massage appointment.

The NEXT App can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. For further details or to make a booking, please activate the NEXT App or visit nexthotels.com/brisbane.