On 5 January 2019 the iconic Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok, closed its doors. Dusit Thani means ‘Heavenly City’. These photographs were taken on that sad day.
It was one of the earliest 5-star hotels in the city, known for its famous guest list, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Whitney Houston, Ronald Reagan and Tom Jones, and striking modernist architecture. At that time, Bangkok was full of American GIs, who were fighting the Vietnam War. They were there for rest and recreation. Most Bangkok hotels were emphasising Western modernity, but the Dusit Thai concentrated on Thainess. There were 517 rooms and suites and a funky hexagonal pool.
The hotel was on the corner of Rama IV and Silom roads across from Lumphini Park and opened on 27 February 1970. It was then Bangkok’s tallest hotel, designed by Japanese architect Yozo Shibata and had a golden spire on top of the roof, inspired by Bangkok’s Wat Run, Temple of Dawn, up the river. It was a favourite dining and events location, especially for weddings of the rich and famous. More than 20,000 couples were married in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom. At one time there was a white elephant standing outside at the front.
The Dusit Thani was the creation of Chanut Piyaoui. She opened her first Bangkok hotel, the 3 star Princess Hotel, in 1948. Over the next seven decades, her company owned 29 hotels in 18 countries – 9 self-owned and 20 managed. Dusit International also manages 240 luxury villas in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
It will be replaced by a mixed-use 440,000 square metre development on a 60 year lease. Upon completion in 2023/24, the project will comprise the 39 storey, 250 room Dusit Thani Bangkok Hotel, all rooms with a view of Lumphini Park, a 69 storey residences condominium, an 80,000 square metre Central Park Shopping Complex and 40 storey Central Park Offices. The investment is estimated to be 36.7 billion baht (US$1.16 billion). There will be a golden spire on the rooftop and an indoor waterfall.
The Hindu/Buddhist shrine near the junction of Silom and Rama IV roads will be kept. So will the banyan tree planted by Chanut decades ago.