Hey, big splendour: Hotel Muse Bangkok
Hotel Muse exudes the opulent feel of the decadent 1920s, writes Kit Gillet
In the heart of bustling Bangkok, among the towering skyscrapers and modern five-star hotels, Hotel Muse has an old-world feel.
Guests are greeted with refreshing fruit juices in the foyer of the 25-storey hotel as they wait to check in. Uniformed bellboys take luggage up to the rooms, along corridors decked out in rich velvet and decorated with images and memorabilia from 1920s Bangkok.
The rooms are furnished with ornate mahogany cabinets, daybeds and cast-iron bathtubs. High above, the rooftop Speakeasy bar and accompanying cigar lounge offer views of the city. It is all very decadent, but then, that's the idea.
"Muse is all about the 1920s era, a time just after the Thai king, Rama V," says Nick Peth, the hotel's general manager, over a glass of wine at the Medici Kitchen & Bar. "It was the era of the transatlantic crossings, early plane travel, big Louis Vuitton suitcases and decadent style."
Around us, well-dressed guests tuck into foie gras ravioli and wild boar bolognaise from the open kitchen while Thai singers serenade the crowd with arias of Italian operas.
More than one billion baht (HK$251 million) was spent on renovating the hotel's building - timbered ceilings, polished oak floors, swirling wrought-iron interior decorations. It is beautifully done, but feels overbearing in its opulence.