Siam InterContinental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, aerial view

Siam InterContinental Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, aerial view

The hotel was built by architect Joseph Salerno. A pyramidal-shaped building flanked by two wings, the Siam Inter-Continental was informed by the exoticism of Bangkok’s Grand Palace complex. Salerno did not want to “copy local designs since he thought of them as intrinsically royal or religious in nature." Rather, "he would incorporate individual local motifs into the finished product.” “To emphasize relationship of the hotel buildings with large garden spaces, he created two low-rise wings of bedrooms surrounded by ponds, lawns and plantings, connected by outdoor walkways to a dramatic four story high, elongated pyramid shaped central building with an orange tiled roof.” The main building and roof were controversial, and reminded Prince Kukrit Pramoj of a crematorium. The expectation was to see an “ultra-modern high rise” since the hotel was constructed by an American company. (Quotations from A Room with a World View).

Hotel closed in 2002

Interiors designed by Neal Prince.

 

Salerno, Joseph P.

Prince, Neal A.

1966

Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts

Hotels--Thailand--Bangkok

Neal A. Prince Special Collection & Archives, New York School of Interior Design, New York, NY, United States

Bangkok, Thailand