Okura’s new Bangkok hotel adds a touch of prestige
Green is the colour of Park Ventures, where Bangkok’s Okura Prestige Hotel is located – now taking shape in the heart of Thailand’s capital city.
The 242-room hotel, scheduled to open in early 2012, occupies the top portion of a 33-storey structure that epitomises 21st century city planning. When fully operational The Okura Prestige is likely to be one of the region’s most environmentally-friendly hotels.
With green as the common colour throughout the building’s design and construction this new five-star hotel is the first in Thailand for one of Japan’s most renowned hotel management companies.
The Okura Prestige Hotel, with direct access to the Bangkok ‘skytrain’ at Ploenchit station, will embrace 11 floors (22 to 33 with guest rooms from 25 upwards) of the Park Ventures ‘Ecoplex on Witthayu’ (Wireless Road) iconic landmark that also offers spacious office accommodation covering some 27,000 square metres. The building design reflects a unique Thai ‘wai’ profile in its façade in keeping with the desire to reflect traditional Thailand hospitality.
Hotel General Manager Samir Wildemann says that the new hotel will aspire to the Okura mantra of ‘Best A.C.S’ - best accommodation, cuisine and service. “Our ambition is to be the ‘best in class’ in a city where hotel patrons are used to outstanding levels of service, comfort, dining and convenience”, he says. “Naturally, the Okura Prestige will offer more than just a touch of the quintessential Japanese spirit – notably in the design of the lobby and other public areas where state-of-the-art functional styling will be complemented with lattice windows and other traditional Japanese touches.”
Samir Wildemann adds, “We are also very excited about offering guests and visitors the very best of Japanese dining in our signature restaurant Yamazato which, we believe, adheres closely to the group’s ‘Best A.C.S philosophy’.” Yamazato will serve Kaiseki and other popular dishes while guests enjoy a birds-eye view of the spectacular Bangkok skyline. Okura's 23rd floor Sky Bar will offer these same views with indoor and outdoor seating.
Conference and banqueting facilities include a ballroom (450 square metres) and several function rooms. The 25-metre lap pool is cantilevered off the main building whilst the fitness centre and spa will offer all types of exercise and relaxation options.
With Bangkok enjoying top priority within the Okura expansion strategy the management team is confident that the new hotel will benefit both from Thailand’s popularity as a destination for Japanese tourists and the city’s significance as a regional business hub.
A constant theme in the design and construction of the new Ecoplex structure is energy conservation. The most visible example is the triple glazing using glass manufactured in the United States. These green glass panels insulate effectively against sound and heat, reducing substantially the demands upon the building’s air conditioning systems.
The Okura Prestige hotel will operate additional energy-saving measures to further reduce the building’s carbon footprint. Intelligent control systems will maintain hotel guest rooms at an energy-efficient temperature whilst unoccupied. Sensors built into the room keys will alert each room’s A/C system to reduce the ambient temperature once the guest has re-entered the hotel. Many other energy efficient measures will also be integrated. The Ecoplex structure embracing the Okura Prestige Hotel is expected to gain the Thailand’s Ministry of Energy’s significant gold rating in recognition of the building’s wealth of energy-saving features. The property is designed in accordance with the US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) in five key areas: sustainable site; water efficiency; energy & atmosphere; materials & resources; indoor environmental quality.
Construction continues to plan and the hotel is scheduled to open formally in the first quarter of 2012. Recruitment will continue throughout 2011 and the hotel, when fully operational, will have created some 400 new jobs.
For more details visit: okura.com