The Standard Bangkok Mahanakhon review
There’s nothing predictable about this luxury stay.
The Standard Bangkok Mahanakhon is the city’s hottest new place to see and be seen.
If the striking decor and popular restaurants don’t prove this, then the swathes of glamorous people who descended on the property to celebrate its grand opening in December definitely does. Located in the Sathorn CBD within the 320m tall megastructure known as King Power Mahanakhon, its exterior makes a strong first impression.
Designing a hotel inside this modern architectural icon, given its status as the jewel in Bangkok’s urban crown, was no easy feat for artist and designer Jaime Hayon and The Standard’s in-house team. But with refreshingly creative interiors, exciting dining options and the best vantage point in Bangkok, The Standard’s second Thai property is a lesson in standing out for all the right reasons.
The hotel
Spanning the bottom 18 (and top two) of the building’s 79 floors, The Standard Bangkok Mahanakhon seems oddly intimate despite the enormity of its outer shell. It’s something Hayon and his team worked consciously to achieve, contrasting the building’s sharp, pixelated exterior with soft curves, intense moments of colour and aesthetic surprises.
The experience begins in the lift, with its green lighting and infinity mirror reflecting thousands of copies of my sleep-deprived face as I’m taken two floors up to the hotel reception.
The interiors of the lemony, mustard coloured reception offer a fun take on mid-century modern aesthetic, with accordion booth seating, glossy mint tables and floor-to-ceiling shelves brimming with knickknacks collected by Hayon and his team from flea markets around the city.
A glass wall behind the front desk shows an ever-changing selection of art by various local and international artists. The hotel’s common areas are a visual wonderland, with each dining and communal space offering up a completely unexpected visual surprise, switching between bright and whimsical to serene and calming.
The accommodation floors and the rooms themselves, however, are a lesson in restraint. If it weren’t for the punchy colour schemes and functional yet beautifully designed furniture, they would border on austerity.
It is easy to get distracted by the look of the hotel, but it doesn’t skimp on the amenities. There’s an outdoor pool and spa, a gym brimming with all the latest fitness machines, and a quirky ground floor boutique which sells The Standard merch and an assortment of unique home and fashion wares by local and international creatives.
The rooms
They’re big. At a spacious 40sqm, the standard king offers plenty of room for a couple. Upgrade to a balcony suite and the floor space essentially doubles.
Size matters, but it’s not the only feature which makes the rooms exceptional. There’s also the floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer uninterrupted views of the bustling city, and automated blinds and curtains which create a cocoon-like vibe for sleep.
If you’re partial to soaking with a view, book a deluxe king room or suite which offer a great vista from the tub and shower. And the toilet. Yes, it must be mentioned. A perfectly warmed seat, remote control to activate various water jets to clean your bits, and a dryer. When you live in a country where bidets are unheard of and toilets are, for the most part, very no-frills affairs, this is an absolute luxury. Pleasant surprises in the bathroom continue, with full-sized bottles of premium Italian haircare brand Davines, complimentary cotton robes and a tri-fold vanity mirror.
While I’m hard-pressed to find any non-functional decor in the room, it’s not missed. Every piece, from the vibrant postmodern coffee tables to the plush suede booth seating is visually appealing while also being useful. Just when I think I’ve found something completely decorative – a cane mesh screen above the bed – closer inspection reveals otherwise. It’s a chic cover for the room’s air-conditioning vent. I give up.
While you’re only a minute or two from myriad delicious street food options, the mini bar is plentiful and varied; nuts, protein bars, caramel popcorn, chocolate and chips, and mid-sized bottles of spirits plus mixers, wines and beers. In a city so vibrant, it would be remiss to spend too long watching the action from one’s king-sized bed and not getting among it, but the hotel’s rooms make this option very tempting.
The Food
If you’ve stayed at one or more of The Standard’s properties before, you can take comfort in the familiarity of some of Bangkok Mahanakhon’s culinary offerings.
The hotel has a dining spot to suit most whims. Whether you’re craving bold, spicy Mexican with an epic view, an intimate modern Cantonese dinner or casual Thai snacks and cocktails by the pool, you’re covered.
If you can handle heights, don’t skip Ojo. The Mexican restaurant, perched on the 76th floor of the building, offers a 360-degree view of the city and a convenient way to experience the SkyWalk, a transparent platform which will have you recalling Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc when you take what feels like a leap of faith onto the glass floor.
Ojo is not your average taco and beer affair. A tunnel of gold orbs guides you from the high-speed SkyWalk lift into the spacious, opulent restaurant space, and the first thing you notice is the view of the hazy skyline and the twisting Chao Phraya river snaking between it.
The scene is flanked by miniature date palms and bold light installations inspired by Mexican Yucca plants, which appear to ‘grow’ out of the partitions between the blush suede and marble booths like something from a Dr Seuss story. The menu, created by top Mexican chef Francisco Paco Ruano, is fresh and surprising.
Lunch begins with a ceviche featuring slippery slivers of young coconut in favour of fish, herby guacamole, and tostadas. A tuna tartare arrives, garnished with large, crispy black ants. It’s a divisive dish among my fellow lunch companions, but the ants add a sweet, necessary punch to the mild fish.
There are no insects at the hotel’s American steakhouse venue, The Standard Grill, for those who prefer a ‘surf and turf’ style meal. The brasserie, which was first opened at The Standard’s NYC hotel, is also the place to grab breakfast. There’s no breakfast buffet, but an unlimited a la carte selection is available with everything from flapjacks and chia seed pudding to Moo Ping; a tasty Thai dish of chargrilled pork skewers and rice with tamarind sauce.
On the second floor you’ll find Mott 32. It’s the sixth location for the award-winning Cantonese restaurant brand, which was founded in Hong Kong in 2014 (and is understood to be landing in Sydney in the not-too-distant future). It’s popular, so book as early as possible and while you’re at it, reserve a serving of Mott 32’s signature dishes; the 42-day aged, apple wood roasted Peking duck. It’s absolutely delicious but daily servings are limited.
One of the must-do food experiences, however, is to be found within the retina-bending confines of Tease; a small black-and white patterned parlour where afternoon tea is served daily from 1pm for about AUD$60 per person. You’ll feel like Alice down the rabbit hole as you sip blue-hued Pai Lin tea and sample various iterations of the traditional savoury and sweet tradition.