Free Copy JJ Market A Shopping Wonderland OCTOBER 2018 ISSN 2586-9191 WWW.URBANAFFAIRSMAGAZINE.COM NO.2 VOL.10 | NO.2 137 Pillars Waldorf Astoria Bangkok MaiMai Eatery Explore one of the best The legendary hotel chain Ayutthaya noodle soup staycations in the city makes its debut in Southeast Asia gets genteel treatment Publisher & Editor Photographer Editor’s Letter Vasu Thirasak Teerarat Yaemngamluea hailand was recently voted the world’s Best Country for People by readers of Condé Nast Traveller UK in Copy Editor Advisor T their 2018 Readers’ Travel Awards, while Bangkok was Manoj Tripathi Anyamanee Chan-Oum chosen as the number one city in the Mastercard’s 2018 Global Fashion Editor Circulation Director Destination Cities Index. Thailand aims to break last year’s record Pekky The Angel Nithi Thirasak of 35 million visitors by at least eight percent this year. So far we have already welcomed over 22.6 million visitors in the first seven Graphic Designer Marketing Director months, an 11% increase from the same period last year. Unyanun Punkaew Sunida Thirasak Digital Media Designer Editorial Assistant The news is welcoming and uplifting for the country, with Raquel Villena Mogado Monthira Amornboonyakrit tourism officials patting themselves on the back for a job well done. But when it comes to how we got to where we are today, Contributors we always hear the same old reasons how Thailand became one of the world’s top tourist destinations: its unbeatable geography, Dave Stamboulis is a travel writer and photographer based connectivity initiatives, and a host of A-list destinations such as in Bangkok. In addition to working as the updating writer Phuket and Chiang Mai. These places continue to draw tourists for Fodor’s guidebook to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, he with a touch of Thainess and probably “Thai smiles”. is the “Bangkok expert” for USA Today’s 10Best website and a regular contributor for various publications throughout But is it true? If we look closely at the things happening in and Southeast Asia. around touristy areas, we’ll see that we’re very lucky to be where we are today. Frankly, the fundamentals of a successful tourist Born and raised in Bangkok, J. Pakchuen studied English and destination are still not there yet. translation at Chulalongkorn University. Currently, she lives in Washington, D.C. where she works as a translator, interpreter, Our public transportation is a mess: vans, buses, taxis, tuk- writer, and tour guide. tuks, motorbike taxis, or railways. The service provided by Based in Bangkok, Ploylada Sirachadapong started her their personnel is downright substandard, to say the very writing career as a food critic, and after eight years of visiting least. Popular destinations like Chiang Mai and Phuket are so restaurants around Bangkok she now expands her writing overcrowded while other surrounding cities seem empty of genre to include travel, fashion and architecture. tourists. Rampant petty crimes go unreported in places, and the police’s willingness to deal with these incidents in a professional Pekky The Angel is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle expert and manner is questionable. And I don’t even want to go into issues blogger. Visit her page at www.facebook.com/pekkytheangel/ like the lack of long-term destination management, sustainable or www.pekkytheangel.com . environmental protection, illegal labor, and the accessibility for persons with disabilities. Born and based in Bangkok, Naam Sombatanantakorn is one of the co-founders of Viajente, a travel agency that offers We can sugar-coat the situation with the accolades we’ve received various natural and cultural travel programs. She is a lifelong and turn a blind eye to the sordid facts on the ground. But unless learner and loves to travel. we take a step back for a moment and look into the fundamentals instead of focusing on just wooing more tourists, we’ll never be English-born Christopher Scott Dixon, based in Bangkok, able to fix these age-old problems. is an experienced writer and ex-BBC radio reporter/presenter. He has contributed many features to a variety of publications While the Tourism Authority of Thailand's marketing machine in Thailand and in the UK. He has also written 17 books across is going to great lengths to keep tourists coming, Tourism and different genres and is a qualified teacher. Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat was quite frank when he Swisa Ariyapruchya was born in Switzerland and spent her said his ministry – which is responsible for tourism regulation childhood growing up in Belgium, Poland, Thailand and the and infrastructure – is ill-equipped to fix the problems. Maybe USA. She is multilingual and speaks four languages. Apart from it’s time for the two tourism agencies to join hands and get their her work as a central banker, she began her lifestyle blog Having act together so that we can develop some sort of sustainable “Me” Time in 2010 and has since continued to write in her spare tourism as befitting the world’s top tourist destination. time. She is also co-founder of Booster Education Co., Ltd. and - VT COVER PHOTOGRAPH: TEERARAT YAEMNGAMLUEA COVER Booster Analytics Co., Ltd. Pick a copy at: Villa Market, Mezzo Coffee, Creamery Boutique Ice Cream, Pacamara Coffee Roasters, Ceresia Roasters, Gallery Drip @urbanaffairsmagazine urbanaffairsmagazine Coffee, The Hive Thonglor, Hubba Thailand, KliqueDesk, www.urbanaffairsmagazine.com [email protected] The Work Loft, Never Say Cutz, Bumrungrad Hospital, Bangkok Hospital, and Broccoli Revolution. © Copyright 2018 Urban Affairs Bangkok. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, scanning or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except where noted. Views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. No. 2 Vol. 10 October 2018 ปีที่ 2 ฉบับที่ 10 ตุลาคม 2561 ISSN 2586-9191 URBAN AFFAIRS OCTOBER 2018 l 3 ARCHITECTURE 1 PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF WALDORF ASTORIA BANGKOK ASTORIA BANGKOK PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF WALDORF 2 1 Waldorf Astoria Bangkok’s lush lobby with white and matte gold color tones. 2 Luxurious and spacious guestrooms have stunning views of the city. 3 The city skyline with Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard in the center. 4 l URBAN AFFAIRS OCTOBER 2018 ARCHITECTURE Waldorf Astoria Bangkok In the Lap of Luxury BY PLOYLADA SIRACHADAPONG 3 or many, Bangkok has become the city The vibe – relaxed yet lavish – can be felt to keep an eye on. Besides the myriad of throughout the property, from a street level arrival F remarkable brand names that have set up area and the oasis found at the upper-level lobby to shop here, the vibrant dining scene is also changing the sensuous guestrooms and multiple dining and fast with a growing collection of Michelin-starred event venues. restaurants and celebrity chefs flying in every week to stage lavish fine dinners. The lobby welcomes guests with its cozy decorations and soft-tone colors, with the dominant colors In hospitality, the city has just witnessed the being white and matte gold, with the baby blue opening of yet another world-renowned hotel. colored chairs adding a decorative, soft touch. This time it’s Waldorf Astoria making its debut The perforated wall and up-to-ceiling clear glass in Southeast Asia. As one of the world’s most mirrors enhance the ambience and create a gauzy, luxurious hotel brands, it’d be a crime not to wax refreshing feeling. lyrical about the majestic grandeur of the hotel’s architecture. There are 171 residential-style guestrooms and suites. Luxurious and spacious, the rooms have Spanning levels 6 to 16 and 55 to 57 of the 60-story a homey feel, each coming with a spa-inspired Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard, Waldorf bathroom, a marble bathtub, and a hardwood Astoria is a bold juxtaposition of luxury and floor. The bed in the Deluxe rooms is set right next artisanal Thai style that is the work of André Fu and to the clear glass mirror so that its occupants can his team from AFSO who designed the main areas. absorb the beauty of Bangkok day and night. URBAN AFFAIRS OCTOBER 2018 l 5 ARCHITECTURE Besides the astonishing guestrooms, the hotel boasts three restaurants, a lounge and two bars. The Front Room, serving Nordic-Thai cuisine, has a seating capacity of 80 and merges modernity with Thai influences in design. The interior's color is reminiscent of Thai spices: mineral grey infused with tropical lime green and mustard accents. Its centerpiece is the lighting installation in the middle of the dining area inspired by the lights during Loy Krathong festival. Located on level 55, Art Deco-inspired Bull & Bear offers superb grilled meats and seafood cooked on a custom-made grill. The Brasserie serves traditional French brasserie fare with 4 locally sourced ingredients. One of the signature venues of Waldorf Astoria is Peacock Alley. “Peacock Alley” was the colonnade hallway connecting the then two separate hotels – The Waldorf and The Astoria – in New York City in the 18th century, where notable New Yorkers socializes. This tradition continues to this day as Peacock Alley is slated to become the place “to see and be seen.” The ambience of this sophisticated yet cozy lounge is exquisite, with heavy bronze and wood decorations, a large marble wall and a counter situated in the middle of the room. The floor- to-ceiling transparent glass mirror lightens the mood and provides patrons with magnificent views of the cityscape. 5 The Loft – a New York art nouveau-inspired bar located on level 56 – serves artisanal spirits and cocktails from The 1935 Waldorf Astoria Bar Book, a bartender’s recipe bible written right after the US prohibition era.