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By La-Orang Davies
The Shangri-La, well known throughout the world for its exceptional
5 star hospitality, has now opened its doors to a new kind of guest;
the executive or family on an extended stay in the Kingdom.
Most hotel guests stay from a day to a week or more as part of
their holiday or a business trip, but there are a growing number
of guests who, mainly due to work, are posted in Bangkok, sometimes
for months at a time. Living in a hotel for more than a few weeks,
even a top class establishment, can become monotonous as one craves
some of those home comforts and habits such as cooking for yourself
and the family or having people over for coffee. This is why 3 floors
of the Shangri-La's riverside hotel have been transformed into luxury
studios and apartments that command magnificent views over Bangkok's
meandering Chao Phraya estuary.
What sets these rooms apart from regular short term hotel rooms
is the addition of home comforts that you wouldn't usually find.
Modern kitchens complete with refrigerators, halogen cooking stoves,
a microwave grill oven and a breakfast bar, a dining area with table
and chairs and a coffee lounge. The partitioned off bedrooms also
provide seclusion and privacy when required.
The overall inviting feel is enhanced with adornments and d?cor
that have a homely look. A subtle blend of soft earth tone fixings
and furnishing captures the essence of both Thai and European luxury
comfort; Chandeliers hang majestically from the high ceilings over
the coffee lounge and in the bedrooms, colourful thick pile rugs
and abstract art decorate the floors and walls while intricate Thai
carvings adorn the trims, cabinets and doors to the ample wardrobes
and storage spaces.
Long term guests are given a choice of three kinds of residence;
the 46 sq m Studio, 72 sq m One-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment or
the 118 sq m 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom apartment
The largest 2-bedroom units are cleverly divided into an apartment-like
arrangement with the main living quarters centrally located and
bedrooms lying on either side. Each section of the apartment has
its own bathroom and individual balcony with a view across the river
towards the ancient capital; Thonburi. This extensive arrangement
is the perfect home from home for a whole family plus a number of
guests if necessary. Both bedrooms have a magnificent marble lined
en suite bathroom with his and hers sinks. There is plenty of storage
space throughout the apartment. The kitchen, with a cozy breakfast
bar, has its fair share of hi-tech gadgets, including a powerful
extractor fan over the stove, a cavernous refrigerator and an oven
that bakes, grills and waves meals to perfection at the touch of
a button. There's enough cutlery and crockery supplied to cater
for a large family and guests.
For families, there's no fighting over the in-house entertainment
with cable television and DVD players set up in each room, kids
can sing-a-long to pop in their room while mum and dad relax with
an old romance. High speed internet, dedicated fax and phone lines
with direct local and international dialing also make it easy to
conduct business affairs without ever having to leave the apartment.
The hotel's other facilities are also available to apartment residents,
including the swimming pool, Jacuzzi, tennis and squash courts,
launderette, car park and mail services. Fitness centre membership
is complimentary, while some of the hotel's services such as 24
hour room service, grocery delivery and limousine service are provided
at a generous discount rate to apartment residents. Monthly rental
fees range from 70,000 Baht to 160,000 Baht and are inclusive of
water and electricity egular towel and linen changes and a covered
parking space. Bangkok International Airport is just 25 minutes
away, Bangkok's Sky train is also easily accessible from the hotel.
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