First airport hotel opens its doors

limbo · September 12, 2006

The official hotel at Bangkok's new airport, the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, has opened in preparation for the airport's official launch on September 28.

Being the first major component of the airport precinct, the hotel has already been serving meals at its restaurants for airport officials and visitors, and will now take its first guests.

According to Accor Asia-Pacific managing director Michael Issenberg, the hotel sets a new standard for four-star hotels in Bangkok and will make a significant contribution to Thailand's tourism industry, which is enjoying unprecedented growth.

"The hotel will be a stylish addition to the new airport and its opening reflects the growing importance of Bangkok as the primary entry point to Thailand and to Southeast Asia as a whole," he said. "It will provide an ideal base for business, leisure or transit travellers, as well as being a major new venue for conferences and events."

For its first few weeks, room rates at the Novotel will start at Bt2,380. After the airport opens, rates will rise by Bt1,000 per night, exclusive of tax and service charges.

The Novotel has 612 rooms. Its two buildings are joined by a massive glass atrium designed as the hotel's lobby. A five-storey lobby covering 2,800 square metres is one of the largest airport-hotel lobbies in the world.

The hotel will also cater to Bangkok's meeting and event markets, with more than 2,400 square metres of space including a ballroom and six meeting rooms.

The Nation 12/09/06