A century-old gateway to Bangkok reopens for stays from 20 December
One of Bangkok’s most anticipated hotel openings is finally ready to welcome its first guests. Set on the Chao Phraya River, The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok, is a 75-key property built around the restoration of an 1888 landmark once regarded as Thailand’s gateway to the world.
Managed by Langham Hospitality Group, the hotel pairs that restored building with a new wing of 60 guestrooms and 15 suites designed to sit alongside it rather than replace it.
That relationship, architect Smith Obayawat has said, is one of grandfather and grandson: Custom House as the elder structure, his curvilinear new building as its contemporary counterpart. The design traces the movement of the river beside it, and the guest rooms look out over courtyards, skyline or water accordingly.
Inside, the references to the site’s history are specific rather than decorative. Bathtubs enshrined in brushed metal draw on the coinage and gilded finishes of King Rama V’s reign, and geometric etching reworks the rhombus mosaic patterns found across Thai temples and traditional architecture.
Beyond the rooms, the property will house a Chuan Spa and a fitness centre fitted with Technogym’s Sandstone collection, its first installation in Asia. The Custom House and its adjoining heritage structures, once reopened, will operate as public spaces anchored by dining and drinking venues, though only one has been named so far: a Bangkok outpost of Hong Kong’s three-Michelin-starred T’ang Court.
The rest of the line-up remains undisclosed. Guests will have easy reach of Bang Rak’s surrounds, from Asiatique and ICONSIAM to Charoen Krung’s galleries and cafes, with private river transfers and chauffeured Bentleys offered as an extension of the hotel’s own sense of occasion.
