How Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok Successful Debuted in SEA

While we all know the Kimpton name, however, many forget that the full title is Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, and the brand has always placed significant emphasis on the restaurant side.

The Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok has arrived as a flagship property in South East Asia and it’s made a wonderful first impression for both itself and IHG Hotels & Resorts.

Here are the reasons why Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok nailed it like no other.

Eat First

In Asia, the first thing you ask someone when you see them is “have you eaten?”

It is very unusual for a hotel to open any of their restaurants, cafés or other dining areas before the actual hotel, but Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok had its first cafe, CRAFT, up and running several months before the hotel launch, and it did so well that you had to wait in line to get coffee from morning to evening.

While we all know the Kimpton name, however, many forget that the full title is Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, and the brand has always placed significant emphasis on the restaurant side.

In Bangkok, the reason for its initial popularity lies in the fact that CRAFT wasn’t built to be a ‘hotel lobby bar’. It was built to be a standalone café with its own personality. CRAFT offers indoor and outdoor areas for guests and their pets which is also very uncommon in Asia as pets are so rarely allowed inside hotels and restaurants.

The result of this strategy? People were introduced to Kimpton and started to learn about the brand and its personality before it was even possible to try out one of its guest rooms. All the cool people of Bangkok and even other hotel owners wanted to get coffee at CRAFT - regardless of rooms.

Involve Everyone

The soft launch was when CRAFT first opened, and it made headlines in every publication including ours. Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok is one of relatively few hotels in Bangkok that involves local talent from the get-go. You may argue that most hotels work with local talent, but at Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, they actively promote their local partners as part of their team. It makes business sense to use local designers, farmers, artists, and so on, and it feels good to support local and small businesses (#supportlocals). This is all about keeping those partners truly involved at every stage of the process, providing clearly evident benefits to both sides of the partnership.

For me, as a business owner myself, it feels good to be supported by a brand that is so well-loved.

It’s your ‘Rich Friend’s’ House

Your rich friend’s house is always better than yours, and at the same time you feel comfortable enough to be walking around in shorts and flip flops. It doesn’t feel stiff or pretentious. Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok is located between Langsuan and Wireless Road, constructed on some of the most expensive land in Asia. Despite this, you can walk into Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok with your jogging shorts, t-shirt and sneakers and never feel out of place.

This is a true lifestyle hotel if you ask me, because you can do casual coffee at CRAFT in the hotel in your sports gear and fit right in, or you can dress up to the nines and go for ground floor for cocktails at Ms. Jigger and feel perfectly at home. Alternatively you might head for Bar.Yard in a tank top and cap for rooftop drinks and you won’t feel any peering eyes judge you.

You’ll blend in wherever you are in this hotel, regardless of your outfit or activity, and to me that’s a true lifestyle hotel. Because no one has just ONE lifestyle. Nobody wants to glam up for a morning run. Nobody wants to look sloppy for a business meeting, yet sometimes, some hotels that try to sell to a particular demographic or lifestyle seem to believe that they do.

Pet Friendly and People Friendly

This is a true pet-friendly hotel where you can take your pets (dogs, cats, ferrets, birds, or whatever can fit into the elevator) into your guest room. Your pet feels welcome and so are you.

For someone who is friendlier towards animals than humans, I find that having pets around makes it easier to break the ice with their owners. I wouldn’t usually talk to strangers and ask about their lives but I’ve done that a few times now at Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok when I’ve approached a friendly-looking dog and asked him how he is, and the owner has replied on his behalf and then we continue to talk.

Location, Location, Location

As mentioned, the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok is located in one of the most prestigious parts of town. Everyone wants to be there. Not only is it very convenient to commute, but it’s also very green. It’s buzzing outside, yet within the property it is very calm. It’s a city hotel but also gives you a semi-resort feel. For Bangkokers, that’s exactly what we need. We love our chaos but we also need to get away from it - not too much, just a bit. And this is why this hotel has its regular guests who will come in the morning for coffee and check some emails before they get on with their days (I know that guest because I see him almost every morning when I’m there). Or me, who runs in the morning at the park and walks into the hotel for a cuppa just before I walk home. It’s like a mini getaway for big city people.

Now that the hotel is fully opened, it shows no sign of slowing down. The Kimpton brand just keeps on delivering what it does best - providing the best stay, eat+drink, and opportunities for people to feel connected.