Floating Hotel Opens in Thailand

Hilton Hotels & Resorts has opened a floating hotel in Pattaya, Thailand. Called Hilton Pattaya, the sleek and modern property offers a fresh, luxe beachfront experience to the heart of the international beach resort of Pattaya, which overlooks the Gulf of Thailand and is about 90 minutes southeast of Bangkok. Pattaya is a once-sleepy fishing village that first captivated Americans as a R&R destination during the Vietnam War era.

The cosmopolitan, full-service hotel rises above the new “Central Festival at Pattaya Beach” complex that is Southeast Asia‘s largest beachfront shopping and entertainment facility with more than 200 shops and restaurants, a 10-screen cinema and a 16-lane bowling alley. Guests will have direct access through an exclusive ground floor entrance, but the hotel’s main lobby is on the 16th level.

Hilton Pattaya enhances its prime location on Pattaya Beach with 302 stylish, Zen-inspired guest rooms and suites located between levels 19 and 33 that offer panoramic ocean views from private balconies. Rooms are light and relaxing with elegant, modern furnishings done in whites, beiges and light woods, while spacious bathrooms come with separate a rain shower and deep soaking tub. Each room is also equipped with a Serenity Bed Experience, LCD TVs and high-speed internet service. Suites offer floor-to-ceiling windows and separate living and dining areas, while many feature outdoor bathtubs on private balconies. The hotel’s infinity-edge pool, which is set amid lush, landscaped gardens, offers sweeping sea views from the 16th floor.

Five exciting dining concepts weave undeniable energy and spectacular views throughout the hotel’s public spaces. The signature Flare restaurant offers seafood, aged meats and fine wines in a sophisticated space with modern artwork, while the town’s first rooftop sky lounge, called Horizon, is scheduled to open in early 2011 with a champagne bar and music from resident DJs. Guests can also enjoy tapas-style dishes and cocktails at Drift, a chic lobby lounge and bar with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and an outdoor terrace where trendy “plounges” (outdoor lounge seats) are set among shallow water ponds. Edge is an all-day Pan-Asian restaurant that offers more of an interactive dining experience thanks to a modern, open kitchen, while Shore serves lighter cuisine and drinks around the pool area.

Hilton Pattaya will be the first in Asia to debut the Hilton brand’s new global spa concept called eforea: spa at Hilton that launched in October at Hilton Short Hills in New Jersey. The hotel is set to open its eforea spa in January 2011, and it will pair an extensive treatment menu designed to help guests “emerge brighter” with customized experiences that incorporate Thailand‘s indigenous ingredients and healing wisdoms. “eforea” spas in Hiltons around the world offer three signature spa journeys, “Essentials” (technologically advanced spa treatments that deliver instant results), “Escape” (holistic spa experiences that integrate nourishing organic plant ingredients and traditional global healing practices) and “Men’s” (re-energizing experiences designed specifically for men seeking balance and restoration). The hotel will even have a hair and beauty salon that provides hair and nail services for the stylish travelers that will surely make their way to Hilton Pattaya.

Nightly room rates (including breakfast) in January 2011 range from $222 per night for a 46 square meter King Hilton Deluxe room with unobstructed sea views to $1,040 for a King Grand Ocean Suite that is 125 square meters in size and offers spectacular ocean views.

Source: http://www.luxist.com/2010/12/14/floating-hotel-opens-in-thailand/