DATA SHEET
Architecture: Openbox
Interior design: Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston
Photos: courtesy of Aman
Like all major global capitals, Bangkok boasts a plethora of luxury hotels. Few, however, can claim the elegant sobriety of the Aman Group’s newest jewel—its second in Thailand after the iconic Amanpuri, which opened 37 years ago on Phuket island. Here, the stylistic and design ethos is dictated by nature and light, interpreted by Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston Studio through his indispensable lens of genius loci.
While the building itself is a modern, 36-story tower nestled within the lush greenery of Nai Lert Park – home to the Heritage Home, now a museum, of Phraya Bhakdinorasreth Nai Lert, the visionary entrepreneur who helped shape modern Bangkok and after whom the hotel is named –inside, it is references to local culture that shape the spaces, which open up to the city through expansive glass windows.
From the rich teak plank flooring to the 3,000 white ceramic spinning tops adorning the lobby, and the gigantic ebony and gold sculpture in the ninth-floor atrium – which, with its 6,000 golden leaves, pays homage to the park’s centuries-old chamchuri tree – local culture is reinterpreted and brought to life through the works of Thailand’s finest artisans. A beautiful example can be found in the bespoke wooden panels of Bar 1872, meticulously crafted by master artisans from Chiang Mai.
Meanwhile, in the Aman Suite, the most impressive of the 52 suites and 34 residences, a coconut shell wall installation is just one of many exquisite artworks gracefully paired with elegant furnishings. The culinary experience spans Italian tradition (at Arva restaurant) and Japanese cuisine at Sesui and Hiori restaurants on the 19th floor, the latter exclusively accessible to hotel guests and residence owners.
True to Aman tradition, the Spa is not merely a wellness area but a 1,500-square-meter sanctuary of well-being, featuring a monumental outdoor pool with a prime position overlooking the skyline, built around an elliptical void dominated by a centuries-old Sompong tree. Relaxing environments and a refined Japanese wabi-sabi spirit define the holistic experiences within this wellness oasis, which, as Yuki Kiyono, Aman’s Global Head of Health and Wellness Development, stated, “marks our return to Thailand, bringing Aman’s intangible sense of peace into an urban setting.” Outside, the city stages its daily rituals of crowds, lights, chaos, and noise. But simply closing your eyes and breathing in the beauty of this place is enough to feel transported to another world.
