Service

What exactly is good service? A dictionary definition of service is the action of helping or doing work for someone. The word service was first used in the 13th century, and yes - the word originated from the Latin word servitium.

In lebua, service with a smile is our prime objective; everyone endeavors to do their utmost best. Take a look at the video below to feel the warmth extended Limousine at lebua at State Tower

Alex Holzer, our mixologist - through his creations in Distil and the Skybar is a service that is infused in innovation.



Through concerted efforts spanning two countries now (lebua Bangkok and lebua New Delhi), Chef Frank aspires to heighten the culinary experience for guests at lebua. This is his service - one that we can enjoy from our table when dining in The Dome. Read a snippet of his efforts here.



For the front desk crew, their role is a pivotal one as guests meet them first. They are like the brand ambassadors of lebua. I spoke to one of them and to him - service is about listening to the needs of the guest - no matter how unusual it may sound, one must show empathy and go beyond the call of duty to meet or exceed the request.



With such enthusiasm and commitment across the board, it is no wonder that lebua is an award winning hotel in Bangkok.

No helipad? Strange!

By Aishik Barua, Jet Wings, India

It might not have a helipad but it is the most sought-after 5-star hotel in Bangkok. Not without reason, of course.

It felt strange to stand on the balcony of my suite on the 56th floor and see other hotels at a distance with helipads on their terraces.  After all, helipads in hotels are now defunct in Bangkok.  lebua Bangkok, though, never felt the need to build a helipad  on their terrace. They do not do special favors. If you had asked for the last table at one of their packed restaurants before the Prime Minister of Thailand did, then you can safely bet that the last table will be yours.

Amidst the busy district of Silom, lebua at State Tower stands tall three restaurants, three bars and a spa. The suites are lavish and plush but have a cozy aura. Normally, every suite has a  master bedroom and a children's bedroom, both with attached bathrooms, an in-suite spa room, where you can ask for a soothing physical­ therapy session during official working hours of the day, a kitchen  with a stocked refrigerator, and a work space separating a small dining  table for four from a spacious lounging area.



The three gourmet restaurants have very different delights to serve. Mediterranean, modern European and a host of other cuisines are there for you to choose from. The M-level, also known as the Mozu floor, spreads out a buffet on select days of the week and serves the most delicious seafood. Especially delectable are the shrimps. A-la-carte you can select from an array of Lebanese, Thai or Indian dishes. You must try the spicy-hot Tom Yam Goong soup and the traditional Phad Thai. They are mouth-watering, to say the least.

Seven hundred and fifty staff members from 18 nationalities work round the clock at the hotel to make your stay pleasant and comfortable. In whatever state you might leave your suite, you will always come back to a neat and tidy place-that's how efficient they are.



Hangover 2 was shot at the hotel. The bar shown in the climax of the movie, Sirocco, is one of a kind, residing at the edge of the terrace garden on the 64th floor. A jazz band plays at one of the elevated corners beside the top of the stairs. At night, the whole area looks like a set straight out of a James Bond movie.

A contradiction of sorts, where sophistication meets casual comfort and a movie-like grandeur is complemented with a quiet demeanor, lebua Bangkok creates just the right balance for guests hether they are on a holiday or an official tour. That is a tough atmosphere to create but lebua makes it look rather easy.

An Angel in My Soup

There’s something rather magical about a stay at the Lebua, Bangkok, where fine dining has been perfected to a performance art in a city of  angels. Aekta Kapoor takes a culinary journey into opulence.

Wide stairs, which seem wider because there are no walls to bind them, begin from the sky and descend seemingly into theBangkok skyline. Two steps down, you stop giddily – the panorama of the city vyingfor your attention, the Breeze rummaging through your hair and sounds of a live band floating six hundred feet above the ground into nothing. Gathering your wits, you descend lower and find yourself welcomed into Sirocco, the highest al fresco restaurant in the world, one of the gems on offer at the Dome, Lebua Hotels & Resorts, and one of the most sought-after dining destinations in the Thailand capital.
As dusk turns into a twinkling night, the lights of Krung Thep, also called the‘city of angels’, shine above the darkening Chao Phraya River. Your five-course Mediterranean meal turns up one delight after another, and you linger over the Your Mediterranean meal turns up one delight after another, and you linger over the absolutely perfect hand-rolled potato gnocchi served with roasted butternut squash and king- oyster mushrooms.

The Whispering Angel rose wine only adds fuel to the enchantment of sitting in the open air, 64 floors above a breathtaking urbanscape, with elegant jazz for company.

It’s like dining with the stars, not just under them.

It was this very charm of Sirocco that compelled Warner Bros to shoot scenes from the film  Hangover 2 here. According to Deepak Ohri, CEO at lebua, the five-day visit by the Hollywood team of over 400 movie professionals was perfectly choreographed down to the last detail. “They would vacate our restaurants at sharp 5 p.m.,” he marvels, “no matter how much equipment was strewn about just five minutes prior.”

To pay tribute, the hotel now offers a Hangovertini, created by Alex Holzer, mixologist at The Dome, using the formula, “vitamins + minerals + antioxidants + bit of alcohol” (see box on the next page for its recipe). Not only is this drink one of the hotel’s bestsellers, so is the Hangover Suite located at the Tower Club, a three- bedroom sprawling 266-square metres space with four separate balconies to savour the Bangkok skyline from different angles and a whole host of complimentary luxury services. But fear not if you can’t get a booking – the hotel still has 357 other suites to offer, and a staff of over 700 from 18 countries at your disposal, including in-suite masseurs who bring soothing spa music along with their sweet-smelling oils.



Located in the heart of Bangkok at the corner of Charoen Krung and Silom roads, and just a few minutes away from the city’s most popular attractions and markets, the lebua is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, a luxury collection in which member hotels must embrace an extensive 1,600-item annual quality assurance programme. The luxurious rooms here offerbreathtaking vistas of the Chao Phraya River and come with kitchenettes, home-entertainment centres and Bulgari amenities (coming in April: amenities by Acca Kappa) in all bathrooms. The high-end suites in Tower Club also offer complimentary mini-bars, along with access to the super-elegant Tower Club Lounge, where you can sip coffee from gilded cups as you view the cityaround you from an opulent vantage point.

Fine dining is, in fact, refined to an art at the Dome – a collection of super exclusive fine-dining experiences The rooms offer breathtaking vistas of the Chao Phraya River and come with kitchenettes, home-entertainment centres and Bulgari amenities (coming in April: amenities by Acca Kappa).
The high-end suites also offer complimentary mini-bars and Internet including Sirocco, where per head costs start from THB 4,300 excluding taxes for a tasting menu. The Dome is also home to the startlingly innovative Mezzaluna, a ‘modern European’ restaurant headed by celebrity twin chefs Thomas and Mathias Sühring. With a formidable background in haute cuisine, the German duo create a new menu every evening using the latest in culinary technology and the finest seasonal ingredients from around the world.



Mezzaluna entrenched itself firmly on the global epicurean landscape when it held a ‘million-baht dinner’ in 2007, a gourmet extravaganza that was ‘invitation by request’ only for a few of the world’s who’s who and lauded as the world’s most expensive dinner. The event was the grand finale of the Epicurean Masters of the World PartII, a one-of-its-kind ourmet festival that saw several Michelin Star-awarded chefs congregate under one roof. The six-course tasting menu at the Mezzaluna includes unexpected ingredients such as ‘forgottenvegetables’ from around the world topped with freshly grated winter truffles from Europe, and kumamoto oyster servedwith cauliflower, sea lettuce, turmeric and dashi. With wine pairing, the price for one person’s meal starts from THB 6,900,excluding taxes.
For those in a mood for more Asian fare – after all, you are in the strategic fifteenth-century capital of the historic Siam – head to Breeze on the fifty-second floor of the Tower Club. Dig into Chinese savouries created by executive Chef James Ho and his team, against the backdrop of a 25-metre high neon-lit sky-bridge.



Else, you could always have a drink at Distil or the Sky Bar, such as the 62 Gun Salute – a peg of which could set you back INR 35,000 – or wines that go up to THB 2 million perbottle. “A Russian billionaire flew in for one evening recently and ran up a bill for USD 100,000 – that’s been the most anyone has ever consumed in one meal,” recalls Ohri, who was the hotel’s first employee and has been here since. Despite their rather exclusive clientele, Ohri insists the rules at the Dome apply to everyone, no matter who they are or what they are willing to pay.



“Sirocco has twice refused entry to the prime minister of Thailand because they wanted table for 16 to 18 persons, and we don’t do large gatherings,” he says. “Another wealthy client once offered a million dollars to hire  one of our restaurants for an evening – and that was just the cost of the food – but wesaid no.” Later in the evening, we observe a

HAVE A HANGOVERTINI Shake together a peg of Scotch whisky, 1 oz Zen green-tea liquor, 1 oz green-apple juice, 0.3 oz Martini Rosso, and0.2 oz rosemary-infused honey. Pour in a Martini glass and garnish it with a rosemary sprig.couple being turned away from Mezzaluna because they are in shorts and T-shirts. “The dress code at the Dome is very strict,” informs Kanokrat Kirkland, the amiable director of public relations. Internationally acclaimed for its innovative business strategies and use of cutting-edge technology, the lebua Hotels & Resorts chain – with propertiesin Bangkok, New Zealand and New Delhi – has been rated within the top 1 per cent of companies in the world in terms ofcustomer satisfaction by TNS research. Interestingly, it started only as the Dome group of restaurants, and then developed a hotel at the same location when clients demanded a place to stay. It now also features Café Mozu, an all-day diner.

Having redefined the landscape of luxury hospitality in Thailand, Lebua has gone the lebua is a member of Preferred Hotels suites also offer complimentary II, a one-of-its-kind gourmet festival that bottle. “A Russian billionaire flew in for one Pour in a Martini glass and garnish on to win several awards and its business strategies have become the active point of discussion in several top business schools around the world.

But business is the furthest from your mind as you take your morning coffee out to the spacious balcony in your suite,and gaze out at the vista below. The sun is just starting to come up but the city has never completely gone to sleep. The highways buzz with traffic 60 floors below you, vendors have begun their business of the day, and the river is abuzz with cargo boats. A gentle breeze picks up, bringing with it sounds of a multi-cultural city with a plethora of languages. The day ahead stretches out replete with luxurious delights. Who would ever want to say goodbye?

The World's Best Bars With Views

BY Sarah White, Contributor from  Forbes Travel Guide



You can sip a drink anywhere, but if you like your martinis with a splash of panorama, read on. We rounded up ten great bars with incredible views, from vistas of Alpine peaks to glittering cities and mega- monuments. Check out our favorites to find out where to meet for drinks when you want to impress—and be impressed.

Sky Bar at Sirocco, The Dome at lebua Bangkok

The view: The bar provides a vertigo-inducing panorama of the capital city sprawl and Chao Phraya River from the 63rd floor. Dare to step up to the chest-high transparent acrylic walls that separate you from thin air.
The scene: Mediterranean restaurant Sirocco—which claims to be the world the highest alfresco eatery—is located on an adjacent open-air patio. Nightly live jazz drifts up the graduated terraces toward Sky Bar, where a round, glowing bar subtly changes colors and anchors the lounge platform jutting out over

We ranked 8th

Evidence of hotels and the hospitality industry have been recorded far back ever since biblical times. As with the passing of time, we have gone from economic and low cost to plush and extravagant. In the Roman era, the first hotels were nothing more than private homes opened to public. Most, unfortunately, had poor reputations. The increasing numbers of travelers encouraged the hotel owners to start catering to the pleasure and leisure travelers in an effort to encourage visitors. From that point on, a surge of hotels flooded all the major cities and expanded to the rest of the world. Today, we have a plethora of big and well-known brands like Westin, Marriot and Hilton available in capitals circling the globe. What comes with these prominent hotels is the prevailing and committed enthusiasm to serve guests to the highest level possible.

For the upper echelon of society, luxury is the key to it all. It has gradually become an essential part of established top tier hotels serving the elite high-end customers or guests since 1790s. Voltaire once said, “Luxury has been railed at for two thousand years, in verse and in prose, and it has always been loved”.

Nothing can describe the high-end side of this industry better than his quote. High net worth travelers and the la haute société nowadays seem to look for more than paid lodging on a short-term basis or a place to spend the night in a new city away from home. Especially when there are many hotels that offers the same services and facilities within a five kilometer radius. Many travelers view them as an integral part of a getaway experience. Travelers can choose a hotel that is as much a selling point as the destination itself. This is the reason why luxury hotels are constantly ranked accordingly to the satisfaction of guests and third party organizations such as Tripadvisor, Elite Traveler and Business Asia Magazine.



Lebua is ranked 8^th in the Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Thailand for 2011 by Tripadvisor. Tower Club at lebua, the all suite luxury hotel has quickly established itself as one of Bangkok’s finest hotels, winning several awards and accolades in a short period of time after its grand opening. The suites of lebua have made it to the list of 101 best suites in the world by Elite Traveler for two years in succession. It has also been voted the Best New Hotel in 2006 by the readers of Business Asia magazine in conjunction with CNBC, Asia Pacific.



Tower Club at lebua is located on Silom Road and is within easy access to business and shopping districts of Bangkok. In terms of dining options, the restaurants at "The Dome" include the illustrious "Sirocco" with its famed "Sky Bar". An open kitchen steals your heart at "Mezzaluna".  Distil with an open air cigar terrace lounge and an oyster and sushi bar serves only the best. Breeze is accessible by a dramatic glass sky bridge from the 52nd floor and serves Authentic Asian flavors. Cafe Mozu on the mezzanine floor promises the best in International cuisine and offers Lebanese and Indian dishes as well. With these facilities and restaurants, there is no surprise that lebua once again, is a trend setter and defines the luxury landscape in the Bangkok scene.

Sky High (Sirocco & Sky Bar)

Sky high

The open sky.

A cool drink in your hand.

The city of Bangkok beneath you.

It's time to unwind.

As we sat at our table dose to the edge of the terrace, I looked at the majestic dome of lebua at State Tower, Bangkok shining with many bright lights, thestail"5 leading down from the foyer to the seating area, the Sky Bar situated almost at the edge, the dinner tables decorated with cutlery and candles and the jazz band playing at a comer. Sirocco looks like a grand set straight out of James Bond movie, where quaint traditions meet chic modernity.

On the 64th floor, under an open sky, the pleasant Breeze is as soothing as the faint humdrum of activity going on around you. Light conversations over glasses of Hangovertini (lebua's signature drink with a scotch base, especially concocted to not give you hangovef5 the next morning) and the five-course meal prepared especially by the chef-de-cuisine, Chef Rick Gonzalez,

Is quite an experience? Wines, selected from some of the best cellars across the world, adorn the bar menu, while some of the best Mediterranean dishes feature prominently on the platter. While a dish of king oyster with battement squash and king oyster mushrooms is absolutely delicious, you cannot miss the main course from the

Chef's Non-vegetarian Tasting Menu. The Australian grained boneless rack of lamb with spatula, a variation of spiced comet and dijonnaise jus is something you might have never tasted. For the green lovers, there is also ample to choose from the Chefs Vegetarian Tasting Menu.

Besides the wines and Hangovertini, there a Variety of other cocktails you could choose from. Vodka-based Sunset 63 and Sky Cosmo are definitely for the sweet­ toothed while the scotch and tequila-based Earth is for those who like their drinks strong. A must-try is the Mimosa, a delicious concoction of champagne and orange juice. And for those who like It strong with a slight bitter taste, you must definitely call for a Desire-a mix of champagne, brandy and angostura bitters.

No matter how inebriated you feel after the amazing cocktails, dessert is a must Kirsch – Vanilla mousse with chocolate Cream and spiced sponge is to die for. The mousse with the cream creates just the right balance of a bitter-sweet taste in your palate and it lingers on for quite some time.

Just as the CEO, Mr. Deepak Ohri stated, Sirocco does actually create an experience­ one that is simply unforgettable.

Breakfast at Mozu

As I cycled faster and faster in the gym, my mind was furiously mapping short memories and thoughts, fusing them to be part of the business strategy for this quarter or piecing together an array of experiences for this blog entry for lebua. As I switched from Japanese original soundtrack for Totoro and Lahu songs from the mountains of Chiangrai to beautiful renditions in Spanish and Italian by Il Divo, I concluded the following:

There are indeed many hotels in Bangkok. Starwood alone has 8 brands here (and the only 2 cities to have all 9 brands are New York and Beijing). To stand out, is quite a task. A great breakfast buffet in a five star setting inside a five star hotel is worth it, to kick off your day. Mozu at lebua does theirs in style.

I’ve not had breakfast in all 8 brands under Starwood here in Bangkok, but I've had my fair share in almost all of them, plus other 5 star hotels. Below, briefly - are my thoughts why the one at lebua is special.

1. Mozu has a dedicated corner for Indian delicacies. And on the main buffet line, surely one or two of them are Indian cuisine, from masala potatoes to tandoori chicken.  So if you like to at least have a choice of hearty Indian selection, lebua will do justice.

2.They have soya bean milk at the Chinese corner. Say no more.

3. I like how the sausages are cooked in front of you as you order.

4. Their omelet corner is strategic, at the entrance to the air-conditioned part of the café where the main buffet line is located. And they usually have not one, but three in the ‘egg crew’.

5. Croissants are baked fresh – one can expect no less with Executive Chef Frank in command of the food repertoire in lebua

6. Homemade yoghurt, served in beaker-like jars with a story behind them.

7. There is actually a place to hang your jacket, and the service crew will do it for you. Plus points for that indeed.

Now, let me check when I am going to Mozu next. Yes, tomorrow it will be.