TEPPING into the Conrad Bangkok is at once a surreal dip into a catwalk fantasy and a master class in intuitive service by one of the top Bangkok business hotels. Airy and light, the new-look lobby sports pale woody tones and the rich sheen of Thai fabrics as silk-draped staff click briskly about. The space is now brighter and more contemporary - though essentially Thai - after a thorough makeover to line up a February 2019 relaunch. A short walk or shuttle ride from the BTS SkyTrain station at Ploenchit (well positioned for access to Sukhumvit or Silom) and usefully adjoining the All Seasons Place office and shopping complex, this is a Bangkok oasis that speeds or slows as occasion demands.

The hotel has been a trend-setter since inception with stylish uniforms, sumptuous rooms and mischievous see-through glass-wall bathrooms (with a discrete curtain should you wish) where a soak in the tub will find you in the company of a convivial rubber elephant in two colours, not the de rigueur Conrad duck. Need pressies for the office? Smart, uncluttered newly pastel and pale wood Deluxe Rooms

offer a more roomy, stylish footprint with Executive Suites spreading over 90sq m in goldy-grey hues with room to swing a metrosexual TUMI suitcase with aplomb. Expect large flatscreen TVs, curved work table with ergonomic chair, iron and ironing board, DVD player, and complimentary WiFi for Hilton Honors members. Plug in and work, or play. Head out for a jog. Swim in a breexy alfresco freeform pool. Play tennis. Get your shoes shone. Leap about on that plush new virginal white bed. Try an exotic pillow to get just the right support for your neck. Or have a rubdown at Season’s Spa, where Balinese, Hawaiian and Swedish massage and exotic detox packages await.

The Executive Lounge offers wraparound views where guests enjoy breakfast, evening refreshments and canapés, little touches that make this one of the best Bangkok business hotels, and not only on the block. For corporate meetings or weddings there is combined space for up to 1,200 with all hi-tech trimmings. The linked Conrad Residences offer a smart long-stay alternative. After hours, head to the see-and-be-seen live-jazz Diplomat Bar.