Erawan Hotel
TheErawan Hotel(Thai:โรงแรมเอราวัณ) was a luxury hotel in theThaicapitalBangkok.It was one of the first modern hotels built to accommodate the expansion of international air travel, and was operated by the government-owned companyThe Syndicate of Thai Hotels and Tourists Enterprises.It opened in 1956, following many delays which prompted the construction of theErawan Shrineto ward off bad fortune. After initial struggles, the hotel prospered in the 1960s under the management ofChalermchai Charuvastr,who featured a Thai atmosphere in its decor and services, but declined in the following decades as it faced rising competition. The hotel stood until 1988, when it was demolished for redevelopment under a private joint venture. It reopened in 1991 as theGrand Hyatt Erawan.
History
[edit]Establishment
[edit]During the post-World War IIperiod, the government of Prime MinisterPlaek Phibunsongkhramadopted a policy of promoting the hospitality industry in order to accommodate the rise in international air travel.[1]A government project, initiated by finance ministerPrayoon Pamornmontri,was then launched to build a modern luxury hotel for Bangkok's hosting of the 45thInter-Parliamentary Union(IPU) conference in 1956. This was undertaken through a state enterprise, The Syndicate of Thai Hotels and Tourists Enterprises, which was founded in 1953 with police chiefPhao Sriyanondas its head.[2]
The company originally planned to build the hotel on the corner ofSala Daeng Intersectionoccupied byLumphini Park,but the idea was rejected. Instead, a location on the southeast corner ofRatchaprasong IntersectioninPathum Wan Districtwas chosen instead. TheCrown Property Bureau,which owned the land, acquired a minority stake in the company's shares as part of the purchase.[2]
Construction began shortly after, but the project was plagued by delays and accidents, and costs rose from the planned 20 millionbaht(US$1M) to 100 million ($5M). Rumours that the setbacks were caused by malevolent supernatural causes gained traction, and advice was sought from Luang Suwichanphaet, a naval physician and mystic. He stated that the building's foundation stone had been laid on an inauspicious date, and recommended that a shrine to the Hindu godBrahma(known in Thai representation asPhra Phrom) be built to appease the gods and ward off the evil fortune.[3][4]This was done as construction of the hotel was completed in 1956, and theErawan Shrinewould later become a highly famous spiritual landmark.[3][4]The hotel building was designed in theapplied Thaistyle,[5]with an ornamented gabled roof topping the four-storey structure housing 175 (later expanded to 250) guest rooms. It was opened by Phibunsongkhram on 9 November 1956, a week prior to the IPU conference.[3][4]
Operations
[edit]The hotel initially struggled in its operations due to a lack of expertise among Thai staff, but was successfully turned around whenChalermchai Charuvastr,an army general who had just become the first director of the Tourist Organisation of Thailand (now theTourism Authority of Thailand), was brought on to oversee its management in 1960. Chalermchai promoted hospitality career paths for young women, and pushed to makeThainessa distinctive atmosphere at the hotel.[3]Its interior was redone,Thai cuisinefeatured in its restaurant, and employees would now wear Thai-style costumes. This positioning would be replicated by new establishments such as theSiam InterContinentaland theDusit Thanihotels in the following years.[6]
The Erawan prospered in the 1960s, hosting many foreign dignitaries and celebrities, but declined over the 1970s as it was unable to face rising competition from private enterprises. From 1979, the company board explored several plans to revive the hotel, and after several years it was finally decided to demolish the hotel for redevelopment under a private joint venture. The plan was approved by the Cabinet in 1985, and the Erawan finally closed down on 2 January 1988.[2][7]
The redevelopment contract was awarded to the Amarin Plaza Company (nowThe Erawan Group), the owner of the next-doorAmarin Plaza.The new hotel was opened under theHyattbrand in 1991, as theGrand Hyatt Erawan.[8]
See also
[edit]- Airavata,known as Erawan in Thai, the Hindu mythical elephant which served as the hotel's namesake
References
[edit]- ^อนุพงศ์ สุขสมนิตย์ (2006).มาตรการทางกฎหมายในการส่งเสริมและกำกับธุรกิจโรงแรม: ศึกษาและวิเคราะห์พระราชบัญญัติโรงแรม พ.ศ. 2547 = Legal measures concerning promotion and supervision on hotel business: study and analysis hotel act B.E. 2547(Master's thesis). Chulalongkorn University. pp. 16–17.
- ^abc"ประวัติบริษัทฯ ยุคแรกปี พ.ศ.2499–ปี พ.ศ.2530".sahathaihotel(in Thai). The Syndicate of Thai Hotels and Tourists Enterprises.Retrieved3 September2021.
- ^abcdÜnaldi, Serhat (2016).Working Towards the Monarchy: The Politics of Space in Downtown Bangkok.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. pp. 128–129.ISBN9780824855758.
- ^abcGrossman, Nicholas, ed. (2009). "Erawan Hotel opens after series of delays".Chronicle of Thailand: Headline News Since 1946.Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. p. 89.ISBN9789814217125.
- ^ชาตรี ประกิตนนทการ (2004).Kānmư̄ang læ sangkhom nai sinlapa sathāpattayakam: Sayām samai Thai prayuk chātniyomการเมืองและสังคมในศิลปสถาปัตยกรรม สยามสมัย ไทยประยุกต์ ชาตินิยม.Bangkok: Matichon. p. 432.ISBN9743233237.
- ^Chua, Lawrence (2021).Bangkok Utopia: Modern Architecture and Buddhist Felicities, 1910–1973.Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 181.ISBN9780824887735.
- ^Grossman, Nicholas, ed. (2009). "Landmark Erawan Hotel closes its doors".Chronicle of Thailand: Headline News Since 1946.Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. p. 281.ISBN9789814217125.
- ^"โรงแรมเอราวัณ ภาคปฏิบัติของนโยบายแปรรูปรัฐวิสาหกิจ".Manager(in Thai). January 1988. Archived fromthe originalon 2021-09-03.Retrieved2021-09-03.