Back in 2011, Minor Hotels launched a sister brand to Anantara that it claimed would deliver a “fuss-free approach” to hospitality, meeting the demands of travellers who desire “good design, excellent service and great value”.
Avani Hotels & Resorts was born, and while Minor has since rolled out the brand to 17 locations across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Avani has still not quite been able to step out of Anantara’s shadow and display all the qualities it originally set out to achieve.
Now however, Avani is embarking on the next phase of its development with the opening of its first ever new-build hotel – a property that is quite literally breaking down boundaries.
Avani Bangkok Riverside, which is currently in the soft-opening phase and due to fully launch in September 2016, has become the world’s the first purpose-built Avani, allowing it to deliver on the promises laid out when the brand was conceived five years ago.
Set on the banks of the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, alongside the existing Anantara resort, Avani Bangkok Riverside incorporates three key brand elements: honest food, sleep satisfaction and “a design for life”, which means providing functional and flexible spaces that allow guests to “live”, rather than just stay.
Stretching the length of the 11th floor, this “Design for Life” area sees the hotel’s main restaurant merge seamlessly with a spacious lounge area, pantry, bar and working space, where guests can grab a coffee and set up their laptop at desks (with integrated power points) overlooking the river. This is an example of how Avani is trying to break down the boundaries of the traditional hotel experience by giving guests the freedom to come and go as they please.
This sense of space is heightened – again, quite literally – by the huge windows that wrap around the entire floor, framing spectacular views of the river and allowing natural light to flood in.
This concept of space and light extends to all areas of the hotel. The 248 rooms (which include 20 suites, two two-bedroom units and a large three-bedroom option) feature large windows that showcase the river views, while sliding wooden panels allow guests to open up their bathrooms to create one large open-plan area, or close them for privacy.
And these sliding panels are also put to good use in Avani’s extensive conference and banqueting areas. The hotel houses 27 separate meeting spaces, many of which can be opened up, combined or closed off using sliding partitions. There is also a vast ballroom (Bangkok’s highest, at 11 metres) which can accommodate up to 1,500 guests and has its own show kitchen, plus a large pre-function area, an outdoor balcony, a car lift, and even changing facilities and showers for brides or stage performers.
These conference facilities actually opened even before the hotel, and since January Avani Riverside Bangkok has hosted more than 100 events.
More new facilities and features are due to launch prior to the grand opening in September, including a huge waterfall that will flow through the hotel, and the Attitude Rooftop Bar & Restaurant which will be set next to the hotels’ infinity-edged pool and provide views not only of the river, but across the Bangkok skyline.
Until now it has been easy to consider Avani to be Anantara’s lesser sibling; a “light” version of the original luxury brand. With the launch of this brand new hotel, Avani is finally stepping out of Anantara’s shadow and imposing its own identity on the world.
Five years after Minor Hotels originally conceived the brand, Avani Hotels & Resorts has now truly been born.
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