ANGKOK is a city on steroids where it takes something special to get noticed. Hotel Muse Bangkok, which arrived in September 2011, plans to do just that. How? With a whimsical and darkly surreal smorgasbord of faux Euro-Baroque involving generous lashings of oil paintings, wrought iron balustrades, stark grilles, mosaic floors, elegant lampshades and bursts of floral colour set off by pinpoint spotlights.

Set on a quiet one-way street, a modest stretch on foot from the Chidlom BTS station, the neat and functional exterior belies the Dali-esque interior that beckons business travellers into this compelling escape – at once cheeky and chic – almost exclusively in corporate grey, brown and black. But first, take off your shades and adjust to the light, as you step into Accor's MGallery creation, recalling a resolutely classic age of travel.

The clubby feel is accentuated by a low vaulted ceiling over the lobby more reminiscent of a Florentine wine cellar than a top Bangkok boutique hotel. Italian nibbles await at the basement Medici and Thai in the contemporary, Su Tha Ros. Savour a decadent Prohibition-style tipple at The Speakeasy on the 24th and 25th floors, which combines the Long Bar, Terrace Bar, the Blind Pig cigar lounge and a rooftop chill-out area with alfresco air-conditioning.

Rooms start at 39sq m with dark wood flooring and invitingly plump beds. Expect a flat-screen TV set atop a tan leather wooden chest that mimics a travel suitcase of yore. Expect a see through glass bathroom with a white claw-foot bathtub, rain-shower cubicle, hairdryer, and oval mirror set in an ornate black frame. The pool is small but attractive, set on a sunny timber patio that serves up the skyline. Next to it is the fitness centre.