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In almost 15 years – from edition to edition – this book has grown into
the richest collection of historical material ever published about The
Oriental in Bangkok.
When Thailand was still Siam – in the mid of the 19th century – a rest
house for foreign seafarers was established on the banks of the Menam
river. It was to become one of the greatest hotels in the world: The
Oriental.
The Oriental – so many stories, so many tales. What’s the secret behind
this composition? This book tells it all. From famous guests to PR
strategies and management tactics. From Joseph Conrad, the captain with
only one sea-going command in his life, who drank in the bar to Nijinsky
who danced in the ballroom. Somerset Maugham suffered from malaria in
his suite: ‘I was almost evicted from The Oriental because the manager
did not want me to ruin her business by dying in one of her rooms.’ Noël
Coward treasured the memories of his favourite cocktail venue: ‘There
is a terrace overlooking the swift river where we have drinks every
evening.’
Jim Thompson, the silk king, owned it; the late Peter Ustinov loved it,
Barbara Cartland has a suite named in her honour; Michael Jackson hid
from the press there.

The queens of the screen stayed at the hotel, the Queen of England
enjoyed it and Her Majesty, the Queen of Thailand, is a beloved faithful
regular visitor.
Gavin Young: ‘This is a truly gripping, thoroughly researched and well
written story of one of the greatest hotels in the world.’
Please note: with this book cover colours vary from edition to edition.
We also publish a leather-bound edition of this book.
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