As the Adage goes, Old is Gold
As a child, every summer my little family would pack up the trailer and tents and head out into the wilderness, doing road trips all across the States. I grew up camping, trekking, fishing, watching and appreciating Mother Earth, leaving as our only trace footsteps - a much coined phrase nowadays. This love for wilderness never left me: some 50 years on, every summer pre-COVID I go camping in Mongolia. We leave behind cell reception and find peace of mind and renewed energy as we hike and ride horses across vast plains, pitch tents in pristine landscapes, and fish (non-barb catch and release of course) and swim in clear rivers to our hearts content. I come back feeling brand new and totally recharged by nature, ready to tackle my inbox.
Now, I know not everyone is on that level. Especially not the Bangkokians who weekend in the beautiful mountains of Khao Yai, looking for their annual dose of greenery, a chance to wear a sweater and some outdoorsy shoes and take some great photos for Instagram. A few might be more adventurous and go cycling or hike along the most gorgeous trails, only to find their socks were not pulled up quite high enough, and they are now hosts to a friendly leech (true story, by the way). So, when my marvellous client Rena asked me to design a hotel in Khao Yai, I figured we needed a really unique story that would make this a destination in and of itself.
I love storytelling via hospitality as one has a captured audience. Some listen, some don't. That is the beauty of it all! When I travel I especially love to learn; so I try to teach guests something new and interesting in each and every one of my new creations. This beauty spot of forested mountains and waterfalls, just 3 hours from Bangkok, tells the tale of a bygone era. The era of King Rama V, when Khao Yai was a gateway for railroad travel to the Northeast of Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.
Why not tell the story of a boy who grew up in the province of Khao Yai, watching trains whizz past on their way to the North, down to the South, and to stations in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore and beyond? For after all there is nothing more romantic than train travel! And while we’re telling the story of trains, we had best be authentic…
Anyone who knows BENSLEY knows we love upcycling. The InterContinental Khao Yai National Park is our biggest feat of upcycling yet, and I am just thrilled such a big operator is on board. Our 100 acre site is home to 50,000 treets, seven lakes, 61 keys, and most wonderful of all: 16 80 sqm suites repurposed from heritage train cars!
The train car suites, and every room, tell the tale of a train conductor born in 1949 in Sap Sawong, close to the railway line that connected Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima. As a child Somsak spent his classroom hours doodling intricate pictures which always featured a train, and always waving furiously as the trains passed, and feeling transported when they did. The story follows him as he grows up and heads to Bangkok, becoming a ticket collector with the North Eastern line.
There he traveled on innumerable train journeys up the country and back again, amazed at the scenery and filling his small home with ticket stubs, timetables and other railway paraphernalia - there was little room left in either his abode or his heart for a woman! At last his dedication shone through and in 1972 Somsak was promoted to Senior Station Master. For ten years he saved a tidy sum, and then the adventure began…
Somsak’s journey takes him on most incredible train voyages, in Sri Lanka, India, and then closer to home: Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Yangon, Luang Prabang, Saigon, Phnom Penh, and Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Song Kla, Sukhothai or even Chanthaburi. Each train carriage is uniquely designed to reflect each voyage and transport guests to a different time - complete with boarding cards and special tags for their luggage! The presidential suites will have private standalone pools, and all the carriages are placed to have gorgeous views of the lake. I love that even guests who won’t be staying in one of the upcycled train carriages will still have the railway experience, as the main hotel guestrooms are designed to feel just like a train - including station signboards, luggage racks, bunk beds (for some) and private outdoor bathtubs (for others)!
The hotel as a whole is enveloped as this story: the idea is that Somsak, on his return, became a train driver for another decade, until he found out there were plans to build an extension of the line going through to Khao Yai! He gathered his savings, bought a plot of land and commissioned a local architect to design a cozy and quaint wooden building, with a beautiful green trellis awning, in the style of the local Rama V architecture he had come to love. This he planned to use as the ticket office, and for himself a small dwelling behind the main façade, into which he eventually moved his entire Railway collection.
These buildings, at the InterContinental Khao Yai National Park, are the Lobby, which welcome guests and immerse them in this unique tale. Our KHAO YAI station is a testament to a quiet yet passionate spirit that had the iron rumble of the railway tracks and the whistle of its locomotives, running through his blood. This follows in the F&B concepts as well: Somsri’s Kitchen is the main restaurant, named after Somsak’s mother - her and her husband’s portrait are part of the interiors. There is also a bar called Caboose! The Spa and pool and lake-side Tea House will be housed in upcycled train carriages too.
It is this unique DNA that makes the InterContinental Khao Yai National Park so special. It is a timewarp into another era, filled with train memorabilia I collected myself over the past few years. I hope that with this new opening - expected in October - more and more operators will be inspired to go the route of major upcycling and recycling, as it brings buckets of character, soul and appeal to any project. Who knows what will be next? I would certainly not say no to an upcycled plane hote, a grounded ship, or - dream of all dreams! - a 100% recycled hotel… I keep my fingers crossed and bid you climb aboard and meet me in Khao Yai in just a few months, for this new adventure. Chooo-chooo!
