If the buzz has anything to it, then the newly opened Well Hotel Bangkok on Sukhumvit 20 is indeed the new hotel to beat.
by Percy Roxas.
I checked in at the Well Hotel Bangkok on Sukhumvit 20 not expecting anything. I checked out totally satisfied; among the very few times I have ever enjoyed an overnight stay.
Well Hotel Bangkok (10 Sukhumvit 20; Tel: 02 127 5995) is one of the newest hotels to open in the city. While the news of it started making the rounds late last year, it didn’t open until January this year, and at the time of my visit, only 87 of the projected 237 rooms had so far been ready to welcome guests.
Yet amazingly two days before Valentine’s Day, the hotel achieved a hundred percent occupancy. It could have been because of the extended Chinese tourists that came to Bangkok for their Chinese New Year’s break, it could have been a big stroke of luck, but it could also have been because of a word-of-mouth publicity that has began spreading since its opening. If the buzz has anything to it, then Well is the new hotel to beat, especially among those in the heart of Sukhumvit.
Well Hotel Bangkok positions itself a lifestyle wellness destination. Managed by Well Hotels & Resorts, which is run by hospitality veteran Danai Wansom, it aims to deliver a “well-balanced combination of comfort and style as well as friendly service.”
I wasn’t expecting anything because, in fact, aren’t there so many other great hotels in Bangkok? And what can you really expect in only an overnight’s stay? Surprisingly, that overnight’s stay was just what I needed. I was able to recharge, and refresh, and rejuvenated – overnight, indeed!
It started with the welcome. Friendly staff, quite good-looking bunch too, received me like a VIP, even treating me to a tea while waiting for my room to get ready. Not soon after that, after settling in my room – an elegant 50sqm-Executive Suite, one of the only four in the hotel fitted with a private exercise bikes and has a living room, two 46-inch Smart TV sets, a microwave (and I heard even a printer can be had on request), and of course complimentary access to Wi-Fi.
“Just give us a call if there’s anything else you want,” the receptionist told me after my in-room check-in. Ah, I know I will be doing some office work here – albeit only in a different, more comfortable, space.
But I needed a lunch, and so at noon I dashed off to the Eat Well Café on the ground floor of the hotel’s Memory Wing, which I find appealing because of its 20th century Art Deco motif. I wasn’t sure what to order, but I gave in for something healthy as I was told the café’ specializes on this. Indeed, there’s an all-day dining menu of mouthwatering Thai and Asian delights with fresh organic ingredients and exotic twists. I tucked into them like a hungry wolf.
Since I would be here for just a day, I decided to check out the Pool Bar on the 7th floor of the Welcome Wing, and got into the tourist mode by ordering a delightful cocktail, although there are also healthy drinks (juice therapy, anyone?), snacks and light meals. As I cozied up on my pool deck, I was thinking this is a prelude to my visit to The Twist Bar & Bistro later (ground floor, Memory Wing), where I can enjoy more cocktails and choose from a divine wine list.
But I soon returned to my room to check my emails and send some job to the office. I got so lost in the work I have forgotten the time until a buzzer rang on my door: I forgot that I had schedule a spa session in my room at 5 p.m., as the hotel’s Well Spa is actually not yet fully operational. It’s nothing fancy, just an hour of aromatherapy, but I felt so revived and ready to take on the world again. The experience made me wonder what further enjoyment awaits when the hotel spa is finally open!
Then I rushed out for an appointment outside, but not before requesting that my dinner be brought in-room tonight. As I was leaving the hotel, I was thinking why I had not asked my friends to just meet in the hotel Meeting Room or Business Center or even at the Twist Bar. Anyway, I was back as soon as I can.
When I opened the door my eyes laid gaze at a most romantic dining set-up – it was two days before Valentine’s Day remember– a scrumptious 4-course menu was waiting for me. I was told about the 24-hour rapid care In-room Dining service with selected menu and focus on personal request here, but when I was presented with one, I was genuinely amazed!
Needless to say, I was flattered by the full service given me. Yes they know my name, and yes, I didn’t even really have to ask for anything to enjoy something. That night, I slept soundly like a child surrounded by soft pillows and smooth white linens, and dreamed that I was the Little Prince finding his own piece of Sukhumvit heaven.
At the back of my mind I can still recall what the Well receptionist told me earlier, “Whether you’re here for business or for leisure, the Well team understand it all.” Well, indeed, they do!
