Montien Riverside - The Ugliest Hotel in Bangkok?

When the Montien Riverside hotel was opened to huge fanfare back in 1996, it was considered one of the most luxurious hotels in Bangkok. It was constructed on the banks of the Chao Phraya River and one of the city's main arterial routes, Rama III, close to the central business district and afforded fabulous views from all sides. The area was considered a rising star in Bangkok's real estate sector, and the bold, futuristic design was lauded for its combination of bold form and efficient practicality.

The hotel was built by the Tantakit family as a sister hotel to the Montien Hotel in Silom, beloved by film stars, royalty and members of the upper echelons of Bangkok society, but unlike its younger sibling, never quite achieved its full potential despite its lavish interiors, incredible views and huge physical presence.

Despite all this, the wife and I had a couple of nights booked for a quick weekend foray to Bangkok and stayed in a beautiful corner room on the 26th floor, just one floor from the very top.

Upon arrival, I thought the grand circular entrance was a little spoiled by the multi-story car park built front and right. Front and left was a small shopping mall and conference rooms. It felt like you were driving around a shopping mall rather than approaching an elegant hotel. The concierge and bellboys were on hand to almost enthusiastically drag us out of the car and guide us to the check-in desk. Upon entering, the sheer scale of the foyer and reception area immediately made us feel we were somewhere quite special.

The architectural design is difficult to describe. It's rather like Thai brutalist meets 1950s Science fiction B-movie. There are three wings that meet in a large central area, which is a natural place to house the lifts. The front of the hotel is covered in blue, tinted glass, and the rest of the building is more traditional concrete, which is 'corrugated' to improve the range of views, I assume.

The rear of the hotel, taken from a handy 7/11 which is almost next door.

It was very difficult to convey the sheer size of the reception that contained a restaurant and coffee shop, as well as the reception desks and other usual hotel admin counters.

As expected, there was a whole load of brown marble, beige decor and gold embellishments.

It was reassuring to see the huge concrete columns that were probably a metre in diameter, holding the whole place up! We had visited just a few days after Bangkok's famous earthquake and were very pleased to see no sign of cracks or damage to the building.

Quiet season and not many visitors. Understandable, as it's in quite an odd location for tourists.

Many places to simply sit and enjoy a coffee or high tea, but no disabled access to the lower area was a bit of a shocker!

Everything was spotlessly clean, and looking past the old-fashioned style, the finishes and furnishings were immaculate.

The whole reception area and atrium covered five floors.

Naturally, there had to be the obligatory photo op.

It was time to go up to the room. We wanted views, so we'd booked a very spacious corner room and after a very quick ride in the lift, we finally arrived. The room key thankfully worked the first time, and we were in.

No big surprises. The room continued the hotel's general theme of faded, bland elegance, but was spoiled by the carpet being covered by a rather nasty, cheap laminate floor. As you walked through the door, it started with typical, polished hardwood. There was a strip of carpet, and then the rest of the room was covered in the laminate. It didn't match at all, but at least the room was very clean and well made-up. The two windows filled the room with light, affording us an amazing river view...of warehouses on the South bank and views into the distance of the perfectly flat, and featureless terrain!

Yes, the room was a little safe and bland. Some nice art wouldn't have gone amiss.

Overall, though, I really liked the room. Plenty of sockets, a place to sit and a desk that was positioned directly in front of the full-height windows that overlooked the river.

It was nice to see a TV whose size was in proportion to the size of the room. I'm sick of staying in hotels with massive TVs that dominate the room. Who goes on holiday to watch TV, anyway?

I could imagine myself sitting here and working. If I ever actually worked!

The views, although not overlooking downtown, were impressive nevertheless. Being up on the 26th floor allows a bird's-eye view of daily life along the river and its surrounding area.

Apologies for the dirty marks on the window!

The bridge you can see in the first picture is Rama IX bridge that carries the main road for travelling South out of Bangkok. It's nothing spectacular by day, but at night...

This view was worth the room price alone as the lights from Rama IX bridge flood the river.

A view of the Kasikorn Bank headquarters.

When the wife booked this, there was method to her madness. She was due to meet her financial advisor for lunch, and there is one thing that this hotel is still famous for: The Emperor Chinese restaurant and its delicious (her word, not mine!) lunchtime Dim Sum buffet that is located on the 4th floor, overlooking the river.

As this is an architecture and design post, I'll leave the food pics for another day, but I will say, both the decor and food were rather impressive.

The meeting went well. The wife got a free lunch, her portfolio is performing well, and I got a 10% discount on my health insurance, which was up for renewal. I'd say that was a result!

The hotel also has the usual pool, gym and business centres with all the facilities, and as you can see from this Google screengrab, a Helipad on the roof, that doesn't look as if it's seen much use!

Also note in this picture the vast solar array on the roof of the car park.

So, would I stay there again? The answer would have to be no. We drove there, but without a car, and with the exception of the Terminal 21 shopping mall next door, it's too far away from the many attractions that Bangkok has to offer and a long way from the nearest BTS station.

It's great for business meetings and functions for the more traditional-minded amongst Bangkok's business elite, but for a tourist coming to town, I wouldn't recommend it. There are far too many other hotels to try out!

That's it from me. Thank you for visiting, and note that @commentrewarder is added as a beneficiary and that the location is pinned to @worldmappin

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy week ahead.

@nathen007