If you find the standard configuration and conventional decoration of hotels boring, visit Reflections - Rooms in Bangkok , a 28-room property that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently declared an "Unseen Paradise".
Only a few steps from the hustle and bustle of the roadside market on Phahon Yothin Soi 7, the hotel conveys the theme of busy city life backed by extremely hip decoration.
Stepping inside the lobby, I was hit by the full blast of an Eagles song. Looking around, I noticed this place did not look like any other hotel. Two mannequins, one with blue locks and wearing a brightly coloured suit, and another a plump woman in swim suit welcomed guests, guiding them to a sofa.
The sofa with its flower patterns initially reminded me of cheap plastic, but its remarkable design and the overall theme made the place look interesting.
The hotel was initially an apartment. Its owner, Mr Anusorn Ngernyuang, one day asked his artist friends to redesign the whole property and make it more lively. Every corner of the building is decorated with a piece of art, and no two rooms look alike, all decorated and furnished differently.
Receptionist Saensak Na Chom gave me a walking tour of the rooms and I was clearly impressed by the creativity that had gone into each one of them to make them stand out on their own.
The first we visited was No. 203, called Princess Kitsch Room.
"This is for honeymoon couples who hold their wedding reception at our restaurant," said Saensak. The room was done in shocking pink and decorated with heart-shaped objects from pillow to chair.
Then we moved to Room 207. It seemed more suited for couples marking the silver jubilee of their wedding. Apart from the usual items, it had sex manual and erotic chair.
Saensak explained that most guests knew about the place from its web site (www.reflections-thai.com) and they do stop by to see it for themselves before making a booking.
Others interesting room examples are the 301, which is half outdoors designed to convey garden theme; 407, the Taj Mahal, is inspirational and a foretaste of paradise; while the 410 is a bit on the weird side because every moment guests spend in the room is recorded on tape, even when in shower, and presented to them at the time of check-out.
The hotel is certainly not short of creative ideas, but guests more used to five-star ambience may find it lacking in terms of service.
Anyway, it is worth a try because it's a nice break from the monotony of routine life. Actually, it could easily pass for an art gallery that will get the creative juices flowing.
Bangkok Post November 2005 www.bangkokpost.com
