Bangkok hotel extras

After being rebranded a Swissôtel in the early 2004, the Nai Lert Park Bangkok underwent a 16 million USD upgrade and is now available for guests. The newly remodelled hotel has a refurbished lobby, pool, meeting rooms, restaurants and bars. 250 of the hotel’s 338 guest rooms have been redone in a more contemporary style and a new pool has been added to the garden.

The Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, the only hotel that will be constructed at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, is scheduled to be completed in July with 600 guest rooms located in two 5-storey buildings, four restaurants, a lobby lounge, a ballroom that can accommodate 1,000 guests, meeting rooms, executive floors, a health spa and fitness centre, a swimming pool, entertainment facilities, and retail shops, at a cost of 70 million USD.

Carlson Hotels and the Grand Asset Public Co. have joined forces to build a Regent Hotel on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok. Expected to open by mid-2007, the hotel will house 327 guest rooms, retail shops, restaurants, bars, a spacious ballroom, a health club on the roof and a swimming pool, as well as 300 condominiums for sale.

Carlson has also announced that in early 2006 it will open the Park Plaza Sukhumvit Hotel in Bangkok, a 15-storery building that will house 89 boutique standard, deluxe and executive rooms equipped with wireless high-speed Internet, printer, scanners and fax machines. Facilities include a gymnasium, swimming pool on the roof and business centre.

Airline reports

Japan’s All Nippon Airways may soon be code sharing with Qatar Airways on flights between Bangkok and Doha in 2005 if granted approval from the Japanese government.

Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways International have agreed to code share flights between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang, Bangkok and Krabi, and Bangkok and Phuket.

Emirates Airlines

Emirates Airlines added three extra flights to its Sydney-Bangkok-Dubai service, which will be available daily in May.

Nok Air has chosen Hong Kong as its first international destination and may begin flying there twice weekly by May.

Thailand-based Siam GA began operating four daily flights to Hua Hin on board their Cessna 208B Grand Caravan planes.

Chiang Mai

Due to popular demand, Tiger Airways added a fourth daily flight between Bangkok and Singapore in mid-January. Flights to and from Chiang Mai and Singapore are also available four times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Please contact thailand@exotissimo.com for rates and more information.