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By Charles Agar
Bangkok is chockablock with awe-inspiring 5-star hotels that feature
all of the pomp, plush and high price tags that visitors to Thailand
will be familiar with from their home countries. The Evergreen Laurel,
an upmarket business property on Sathorn Road, is not without style
and some of the flourishes of a luxury hotel, but at the Evergreen
it is not about paying exorbitant prices for grand public spaces
or luxury services that few guests actually use. A smaller hotel
of just one hundred and fifty rooms ("boutique" if you
will), service and attention is personalized and the helpful management
at the Evergreen caters to the repeat business customer and bends
over backward to streamline each guest's experience. Here you will
find large, sumptuous guestrooms, excellent business services, fine
dining and popular meeting rooms and convention facilities. The
Evergreen is an excellent choice for the savvy business traveller
in need of a quiet, comfortable room; many in-house resources and
convenience to the business and embassy area of the city.
Managed by the Evergreen Corporation, a large Taiwanese shipping
conglomerate that owns EVA Airline (you'll recognize the Evergreen
trademark from shipping containers worldwide), the hotel is supported
by a vast web of resources and so has weathered recent troubles
(like the SARS crisis and a decline in travel due to the current
global conflicts) much better than other hotels that have been forced
to tighten their belts.
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The lobby of the Evergreen is a beehive of activity. Visitors are
greeted by smiling bellmen and, though not overly showy, the public
spaces of this hotel have something special, something both tranquil
and utilitarian. The double-height entry area is tastefully designed
like the exterior of a modern European villa. Two stories of shuttered,
old-fashioned sash windows create the pleasing effect of a small
courtyard, maybe somewhere in the provinces of France. An inspiring
crystal chandelier fills the lobby space and a delicate fountain
rises at the centre of the room, as if a stalagmite to the chandelier's
cascading stalactite and provides the dulcet tones of trickling
water to the busy space. A grand curving staircase leads guests
to a mezzanine floor, hotel meeting rooms and fine dining. Among
these attractive flourishes, visitors also find functional nooks:
a tidy little bakery corner, a florist and gift kiosk, a busy buffet
restaurant and a warm, intimate lobby bar completed in wood paneling
with comfortable couches. Staff attention in the lobby is very professional:
helpful but not hovering.
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Where the Evergreen truly shines though are in its 115 fine superior
rooms, which are of a very high standard. The hotel's 35 high-end
suites are expansive and luxurious. Superior rooms are large enough
for that quick company huddle or to entertain clients with drinks
from the minibar. High-end suites support small boardrooms and large,
lavish sitting areas. Carpeted in pastel white shag, each unit (whether
superior or suite) is decked out in a chic Western Contemporary
decor that is refined, familiar and comfortable. Exquisitely crafted
furnishings are executed in a deep umber wood. Claw-footed French
"Louis" style desk, chairs and lounger match an elegant
fluted headboard and oversized Victorian wardrobe. The dark wood
stands in a pleasing contrast to light colours and delicate floral
prints on the floor, walls and linen.
Most notable in terms of in-room services is the free broadband
Internet in every room, something unheard of even in the best hotels
(in most hotels, guests can expect to pay exorbitant rates for even
the slowest dial-up connection). A tip-top business centre and the
staff's "can do" attitude mean that the needs of the business
traveller are always met at the Evergreen. Other services and amenities,
like a plush mini-bar, complimentary cotton robe and slippers and
a large in-room safe are standard in all rooms. Double-pane glass
insulates rooms from the street noise of busy Sathorn below, making
each private space at the Evergreen a kind of sanctuary, a place
of seemless transition for the busy executive and yet convenient
to the business area of Bangkok.
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Even if you don't stay at the Evergreen, at least stop by their
very popular Chinese restaurant, Canton Palace, which has earned
citywide acclaim. The restaurant's elegant private rooms speak of
power lunches and important celebrations and their dim-sum specialties
and other Cantonese treats pack in the crowds, especially at lunchtime
(it is best to make a reservation to be sure to get a table). Other
hotel amenities include a compact but very tidy gym with a host
of top end machines, a small pool on a quiet patio area, massage
facilities, sauna and Jacuzzi.
The Evergreen is strictly a business hotel and their professional,
multi-lingual staff is well rehearsed at accommodating any eventuality
and can cater to visitors of any nationality, from the salesman
"on the go" to small meeting groups and conventions. Fax,
IDD phone, Internet, video conferencing and secretarial services
are available in their business centre (or in-room). The hotel meeting
rooms can hold from 50 to 200 guests and are neat and orderly (not
always the case in larger properties) and are often full, so be
sure to book well in advance. There is no low season at the Evergreen;
instead, an endless stream of repeat customers and the manageable
size of this hotel means that the folks here will know your name
and make you feel right at home: a good business "home away
from home" in the heart of Bangkok.
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