137 Pillars Suites & Residences is a sleek sanctuary in the heart of Bangkok which is bound to become one of your favourite homes-away-from-home thanks to its breath-taking rooftop pool, impeccably designed suites and fantastic service.
137 Pillars Suites & Residences is a well-known name in the city of Bangkok which hails its origins to 1800s Chiang Mai, where its precursor was opened. King Chulalongkorn, who, as the film “The King and I” shows, was a student of British teacher Anna Leononwens, signed a royal decree in 1883 allowing foreigners to cut trees across the vast teak forests of northern Thailand for commercial purposes. Anna’s son, Louis, would eventually join the East Borneo Company and build three sprawling teak houses on the other side of river. These houses were built on stilts, or pillars, and prestige was often measured by the number of pillars your house had. Louis had three structures and the largest had 137 pillars! This house would eventually become the 137 Pillars House.
The owners of the property in Chiang Mai, the Wongphanlert family, have created a new hotel group and their first foray out of Chiang Mai and 2nd property in the group is the 137 Pillars Suites & Residences which opened in February 2017 on Sukhumvit Soi 39, in the Bangkok’s Thonglor district.
The ultra-luxe property, whose architects were Palmer and Turner from Bangkok, has 176 private residences as well as 34 exquisitely designed suites set on the 24th to 32nd floors ranging from 70m² to 127m² and all featuring large balconies with daybeds and rocking chairs. The 176 private residences have either one or two bedrooms and range in size from 40m² to 114m². The interior designers were P49 Design and Landscape artists were Wabi Sabi Studio. Each room has spacious balconies with expansive views of Bangkok’s city centre, private dining tables, private pantries with wine cellars, mood lighting, large walk-in dressing rooms, high ceilings and chic Thai decorations. The rooms display a cosy, warm palette of rich tones. The glorious bathrooms have glass-walled rain-showers as well as beautiful marble circular tubs and built in flat screen TVs. The hotel is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).
Visitors of the suite-only hotel can enjoy the delights of two restaurants – the Nimitr and The Bangkok Trading Post which have been created by Bangkok’s chic design couple Sophie Beghin and Faun Israrena na Ayudhya of Santhaya Associates. The restaurant on the lower floors, the Bangkok Trading Post, is inspired by the original teak traders, whereas the Nimitr restaurant on the 27th floor offers a more modern fusion of Asian inspiration.
The striking rooftop infinity pool, which is open 24 hours a day, presents unobstructed views of the Thai capital and is never crowded as it is only for guests of the 34 suites. The hotels facilities include a golf clinic, herb garden on floor 29, the Nitra Spa & Wellness, a gym with outstanding views, yoga and meditation studios.
A second pool, nearly just as beautiful, is available in the terrace of the Nimitr restaurant directly accessible from Jack Bain’s Bar on the 28th floor. The bar is inspired by the colonial gentlemen that worked in The East Borneo Company and takes its name from the Bain family who were the previous residents of the house in Chiang Mai. It offers all sorts of cocktails but whilst the bar at Chiang Mai specialises in gins, this one has a wider range of whiskies for connoisseurs and an extensive collection of European wines and Latin American cigars – mainly from Cuba and Honduras.
Last but not least, the service is unrivaled. With a 24-hour personal butler service and access to a fast-track immigration track at the airport in case you’ve had a tiring flight. In fact, when one books direct there are added benefits like flexible check-in and out times.
