The Sofitel So Bangkok hotel last week unveiled a new executive lounge designed by legendary French couturier Christian Lacroix. This 30-story hotel is the Sofitel group’s second So design boutique property following the Sofitel So Mauritius.
Located on the 25th floor of the 238-room hotel, the Club Signature lounge is dedicated to premium guests staying in ‘So Club’ rooms and higher categories.
It also provides check-in, breakfast and tea services, and doubles as a cocktail bar at night. A library corner in the lounge allows for the complimentary use of iPads.
Décor-wise, the lounge features extensive images and motifs of old Siam and 19th-century France, as well as a colorful surreal art centerpiece showing images of French dresses and Asian flowers.
The interiors of the hotel were designed by Lacroix in collaboration with a team of six Thai architects, drawing inspiration from the Asian philosophical system of the five elements of water, earth, wood, metal and fire. Lacroix, who led the artistic direction of the hotel’s overall design, also created the uniforms of the hotel staff.
This is not the first time Lacroix has worked in interior design. He has completed several other interior design projects over the past few years, including Hotel Le Petit Moulin in 2005, Le Bellechasse in 2007 and Le Notre Dame hotel in 2010.
More hotels are turning to fashion brands to design their interiors in a bid to draw the international jetset. Diane von Furstenberg designed 20 rooms at the Claridges London hotel while Bottega Veneta designed a suite at the St Regis Florence.
Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld is also reportedly working on the interiors of Monaco’s historic Hotel Metropole.
