editorial

Anantara Siam’s signature Jim Thompson Suite is inspired by Thailand’s iconic silk brand. Top and pants by Jim Thompson; shoes, model’s own.

Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel &#8211; Jim Thompson Suite Hero Shot

Words by Ron Gluckman 
Photographs by Christopher Wise 
October 14, 2026 
Following a meticulous multimillion-dollar transformation, Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel is breathing fresh life into one of the Thai capital’s most prestigious addresses.
<figure id="attachment_164203" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164203" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164203" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Renovated-Main-Pool-and-Grand-Lobby-Interior.jpeg" alt="Poolside at the reimagined Anantara Siam. Wrap by Jim Thompson; top and shoes, model’s own; the hotel’s refreshed lobby. Outfit by Jim Thompson." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Renovated-Main-Pool-and-Grand-Lobby-Interior.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Renovated-Main-Pool-and-Grand-Lobby-Interior-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Renovated-Main-Pool-and-Grand-Lobby-Interior-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Renovated-Main-Pool-and-Grand-Lobby-Interior-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164203" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Poolside at the reimagined Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. Wrap by Jim Thompson; top and shoes, model’s own; the hotel’s refreshed lobby. Outfit by Jim Thompson.</figcaption></figure>
For nearly half a century, the hotel at 155 Ratchadamri Road has stood as a landmark of <a href="https://destinasian.com/travel-guide/thailand/bangkok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bangkok</a>’s hospitality scene, a luxurious urban oasis blending Thai heritage with classic Western architectural grandeur. Beyond its grand lobby, koi ponds and ample greenery extend throughout three spacious wings—each named for a different Thai flower—on an unrivaled four-hectare site overlooking the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.
The property now known as Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel originally opened in 1978 under the Peninsula brand, before becoming the Regent and later the famed Four Seasons Bangkok. In 2015, it was relaunched as the <a href="https://www.anantara.com/en/siam-bangkok?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flagship of Anantara</a>, the homegrown luxury brand that helped propel Bangkok-based Minor Hotels into a global hospitality behemoth.
Throughout its life, the hotel has remained a local institution where power brokers cement deals and Bangkok’s high society gather for celebrations, often at the restaurants lining the atrium of Parichart Court, a lush garden courtyard where leafy vines and ferns hang over a meandering koi pond. As a reporter in the early 1990s, this was where I’d often meet up with my local contacts to discuss story leads and juicy Bangkok intel, whispered over brandies and cigars. And so it was for decades, as the hotel served as a center of business, hospitality, and social life in the bustling neighborhood of Ratchaprasong, between central Siam and Lumphini Park.
<figure class="da-fullscreen-image" data-da-fullscreen-image="true"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="da-fullscreen-image__img wp-image-164518 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Master-Bedroom-of-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Lounging-by-the-Pool.jpeg" alt="The master bedroom of the Jim Thompson Suite. Top and pants by Jim Thompson; shoes, model’s own; poolside lounging. Dress by Jim Thompson; shoes, model’s own." width="1920" height="1280" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Master-Bedroom-of-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Lounging-by-the-Pool.jpeg 1920w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Master-Bedroom-of-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Lounging-by-the-Pool-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Master-Bedroom-of-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Lounging-by-the-Pool-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Master-Bedroom-of-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Lounging-by-the-Pool-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Master-Bedroom-of-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Lounging-by-the-Pool-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Master-Bedroom-of-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Lounging-by-the-Pool-1568x1045.jpeg 1568w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164518" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: The master bedroom of the Jim Thompson Suite. Top and pants by Jim Thompson; shoes, model’s own; poolside lounging. Dress by Jim Thompson; shoes, model’s own.</figcaption></figure>
A new chapter begins this year for the storied hotel, following a US$50 million renovation that introduces a host of new features, including the two-bedroom Jim Thompson Suite and five new pool villas—a first for central Bangkok.
“We’ve gone through the entire hotel, touching every guest room,” says general manager Torsten Richter as he guides me around a hotel that remains familiar and comforting, yet also feels wonderfully recharged. Everything seems brighter, refreshed with vibrant color patterns in rugs and walls, interspersed with Thai textiles and vintage paintings in the stylishly updated rooms. “We’ve updated it to the 21st century.”
Yet Anantara Siam remains a living piece of Thai heritage. Character abounds from the moment you step into the lobby, where massive pillars rise beneath a coffered ceiling decorated with colorful fresco panels. Even more eye-catching is the magnificent 100-square-meter mural on the wall above a sweeping central staircase. Painted on handwoven Thai silk, “The Coronation of a King” is the work of Ajarn Paiboon Suwannakudt, one of <a href="https://destinasian.com/travel-guide/thailand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thailand</a>’s leading muralists of the 20th century, and an ode to the 1782 coronation of King Rama I and the subsequent founding of Bangkok. More radiant than ever following a meticulous restoration, it now overlooks a refreshed lobby fitted with plush furnishings and enormous torch-like light fixtures.
<figure id="attachment_164197" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164197" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164197" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Decor-Detail-and-Model-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite.jpeg" alt="A decor detail; ready for closeup in the Jim Thompson Suite. Outfit by Jim Thompson." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Decor-Detail-and-Model-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Decor-Detail-and-Model-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Decor-Detail-and-Model-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Decor-Detail-and-Model-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164197" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A decor detail; ready for closeup in the Jim Thompson Suite. Outfit by Jim Thompson.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_164521" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164521" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164521" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Interior-and-Bird-at-Koi-Pond.jpeg" alt="Looking out from a Garden Pool Villa; the koi pond at the open-air Parichart Court." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Interior-and-Bird-at-Koi-Pond.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Interior-and-Bird-at-Koi-Pond-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Interior-and-Bird-at-Koi-Pond-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Interior-and-Bird-at-Koi-Pond-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164521" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Looking out from a Garden Pool Villa; the koi pond at the open-air Parichart Court.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_164198" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164198" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164198" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-of-Pool-Villa-and-Thai-Dishes-at-Spice-Market-Restaurant.jpeg" alt="Outside a Garden Pool Villa. Outfit by Jim Thompson; Thai dishes on the menu at Spice Market include tom kha gai yang (grilled chicken thigh with coconut broth and straw mushrooms), kai jiew (Thai-style omelet) with blue crab and spicy crab roe sauce, and yum lai bua (lotus shoot salad) with Tasmanian salmon." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-of-Pool-Villa-and-Thai-Dishes-at-Spice-Market-Restaurant.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-of-Pool-Villa-and-Thai-Dishes-at-Spice-Market-Restaurant-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-of-Pool-Villa-and-Thai-Dishes-at-Spice-Market-Restaurant-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-of-Pool-Villa-and-Thai-Dishes-at-Spice-Market-Restaurant-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164198" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Outside a Garden Pool Villa. Outfit by Jim Thompson; Thai dishes on the menu at Spice Market include tom kha gai yang (grilled chicken thigh with coconut broth and straw mushrooms), Thai-style omelet with blue crab, and lotus shoot salad with Tasmanian salmon.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Dining at Spice Market, Biscotti, and Aqua Bar</h2>
All of the hotel’s restaurants have been spruced up as well, with elegant Italian favorite Biscotti now sporting a bolder color scheme. Spice Market, an antiques-filled Thai restaurant in Parichart Court, has meanwhile launched a Jim Thompson menu (including classics like massaman curry and larb, a fragrant minced meat salad elevated with wagyu tenderloin) as part of a tie-in to the legendary American-born Thai silk tycoon. Apart from the new signature suite, Thompson’s legacy is also celebrated with private tours of the canal-side <a href="https://jimthompsonhouse.org/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jim Thompson House Museum</a>, with dinner and drinks upstairs at the spy-themed O.S.S. Bar.
At night, exotic cocktails await at Aqua Bar, run by charismatic mixologist Ryan Dela Vega, whose zesty creations have earned the venue a spot on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. Guests can chase away hangovers with bountiful breakfasts and fresh-baked pastries at the Guilty buffet, while regal afternoon tea is a staple in the lobby.
<h2>Garden Pool Villas, Wellness, and Thai Traditions</h2>
Other new additions include a kids’ club and expanded wellness offerings, among them a kickboxing ring and a gorgeous new spa. Suite bookings also come with access to the lavish new Kasara executive lounge, with all-day drinks and treats plus relaxing views over the pool area tucked into the back of the property on level two.
Best of all, for me, was settling into my own personal oasis—one of the new <a href="https://www.anantara.com/en/siam-bangkok/rooms/garden-pool-villa?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garden Pool Villas</a>. Complete with their own tropical gardens and plunge pools, they deliver a resort-style escape in the heart of the city, with soothing interiors accented by Thai fabrics and tilework. Just steps away is the main pool area, which has also been enhanced with big cabanas, more seating in the leafy gardens, and healthy poolside menus.
Anantara Siam’s cultural programming has been upgraded too. Every Wednesday morning monks arrive to collect alms and share a prayer of blessing, while evenings see traditionally costumed dancers perform in the lobby. Guests can even book a special session with Thai tattoo artist Ajarn Neng, a master of the sacred Sak Yant style, whose work leaves a lasting memento as enduring as the hotel itself.
From US$354 a night; <a href="https://www.anantara.com/en/siam-bangkok?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anantara.com</a>.
<figure id="attachment_164200" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164200" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164200" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Jim-Thompson-Suite-Featured-Image.jpeg" alt="Anantara Siam’s signature Jim Thompson Suite is inspired by Thailand’s iconic silk brand. Top and pants by Jim Thompson; shoes, model’s own." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Jim-Thompson-Suite-Featured-Image.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Jim-Thompson-Suite-Featured-Image-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Jim-Thompson-Suite-Featured-Image-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Jim-Thompson-Suite-Featured-Image-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164200" class="wp-caption-text">Anantara Siam’s signature Jim Thompson Suite is inspired by Thailand’s iconic silk brand. Top and pants by Jim Thompson; shoes, model’s own.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_164199" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164199" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164199" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Exterior-and-Aqua-Bar-Cocktail.jpeg" alt="A Garden Pool Villa; zesty cocktails at Aqua Bar include Pomelo’s Embrace, made with Phraya Gold Rum, ruby pomelo, and a bite of Isan sausage." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Exterior-and-Aqua-Bar-Cocktail.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Exterior-and-Aqua-Bar-Cocktail-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Exterior-and-Aqua-Bar-Cocktail-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Garden-Pool-Villa-Exterior-and-Aqua-Bar-Cocktail-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164199" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A Garden Pool Villa; zesty cocktails at Aqua Bar include Pomelo’s Embrace, made with Phraya Gold Rum, ruby pomelo, and a bite of Isan sausage.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_164519" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164519" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-164519 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Cabanas-at-Main-Pool.jpeg" alt="Relaxing at a cabana beside the Anantara Siam’s main pool." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Cabanas-at-Main-Pool.jpeg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Cabanas-at-Main-Pool-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Cabanas-at-Main-Pool-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Cabanas-at-Main-Pool-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164519" class="wp-caption-text">Relaxing at a cabana beside the Anantara Siam’s main pool. Dress by Jim Thompson.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_164520" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164520" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-164520" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Details-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Model-at-Grand-Staircase-with-Mural.jpg" alt="A Jim Thompson handkerchief inside its namesake suite; the grand lobby staircase at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Details-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Model-at-Grand-Staircase-with-Mural.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Details-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Model-at-Grand-Staircase-with-Mural-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Details-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Model-at-Grand-Staircase-with-Mural-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Anantara-Siam-Bangkok-Hotel-Details-in-Jim-Thompson-Suite-and-Model-at-Grand-Staircase-with-Mural-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164520" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Jim Thompson handkerchiefs inside its namesake suite; the grand lobby staircase at Anantara Siam.</figcaption></figure>
Styled by Kateisree Wise. Hair and makeup: Piyanuch Fanlo. Model: Numson.
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">October/November 2026</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Siam Ease”). Buy a single issue or subscribe <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
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