"Oriental," little Louis Leonowens murmured, "why couldn't we stay there?" That was 1862. The little boy had to stay over night on the steamer Chao Phya. His mother, the legendary Anna Leonowens, was just about to start her assignment as the governess of the King of Siam.
That's how this book about the most legendary hotel of Thailand starts. It takes us back to the days when Thailand was still Siam in the mid of the 19th century. Then a rest house for foreign seafarers was established on the banks of the Menam river. It was to become "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.’

» Add to cart for 28,00 EUR + S&H | View Cart