Bangkok’s Narai Hotel faces demolition after 54 years

[The_King]

 

 

The wrecking ball is taking aim at a legendary hotel from Bangkok’s golden era of post-war modernism on Silom Road.

After 54 years, the four-star Narai Hotel will close its doors Friday before much of it is knocked down and rebuilt. The famed hotel announced that it would “make the Silom area flourish like it did in the past, but very modern.”

“Be prepared for a new look soon,” its management team said. Someone answering the phone today said the building would not be fully demolished.

 

When it opened in 1968, its 500 rooms made it one of the capital’s first massive hotels. Its rotating restaurant – said to be the nation’s first and unused for some time – towered over the low-lying urban landscape with 360-degree, panoramic views.

The hotel rep did not say whether the restaurant would be rebuilt.

Photo: The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage

Its ballroom was one of the city’s largest and held up to about 1,000 guests. It also gave birth to Narai Pizzeria, a pioneering Italian eatery that still has branches in several malls.

The hotel has been closed due to the pandemic. It is owned by the Narai Hospitality Group, whose holdings include Lub.d boutique hostels, Riverine Hotel & Residence, and  nearby Triple Two Silom hotel.

On Friday, the hotel will host a private memorial and relocate a statue of its namesake, King Narai.

A 2017 file photo of Narai Hotel. Photo: Weerapon Singnoi of Foto_Momo / Courtesy Photo: Narai Hotel Photo: Narai Hotel Photo: Narai Hotel Photo: Narai Hotel Photo: Narai Hotel