An 'Orchid' by any other name

Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid

After serving the city's highend clients for several years, the former Hotel Sofitel Raja Orchid has been rebranded Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid and is decidedly more relaxed.

The first international hotel in Thailand's northeast, the Raja Orchid Khon Kaen opened in the mid '90s and was initially something of a tourist attraction for local people who were fascinated by the hotel's modern design and eager to check out the authentic German beer brewed at Kronen Brauhaus.

Today, though the locals no longer come to admire the lobby and its glass tube lifts anymore, the hotel still offers clients a high standard of service, catering to the northeast's business community for their meetings and conferences.

Khon Kaen is expanding fast and the traffic is unsurprisingly more congested. Those doing business in the city prefer to stay in the centre. And the hotel is perfectly located. It's an easy walk to the main shopping centre, Tops supermarket, nightlife venues and the new city shrine, a popular tourist attraction. It's also less than 10 minutes away from the train station and bus terminal and an easy drive from the airport.

Although several restaurants and cafes in town offer free wireless Internet, it's great to have the service on tap.

My executive room on the 15th floor is spacious and divided into two zones - a living/working room with a separate toilet for guests, and a bedroom with walk-in closet, bathtub and shower area.

It's impossible to be lonely in an executive room. I've never seen so many TV sets other than in a store. There's one in the living room, another in the bedroom plus an LCD screen over the bathtub.

The room rates seem high for the northeast, where budget hotels abound, with accommodation around town going for less than Bt1,000. Of course, none of those rooms comes with the location, business centre, fitness centre with swimming pool and spa. And con¬sidering the international brand, this is probably the lowest rate you can get at Pullman.

The panoramic view is one of the reasons why it's worth staying at Pullman. Most of the buildings in town are low rise. The only higher building in the area is an unfinished hotel.

Although I lived in Khon Kaen for years, this is the first time I've had a bird's eye view of the city. As night falls, a colourful vista unfolds from the brand new city shrine to the faraway glittering road going out of town.

Spa fans can pamper themselves with a five-star body treatment that starts at a very reasonable price of Bt1,390.

For dinner, there's a choice of international outlets including Japanese, Vietnamese and Italian. For Northeastern flair, head to the street.

While prices are undoubtedly higher than other Khon Kaen hotels, the service is up to international standard and the Pullman rates are surprisingly affordable.

AT A GLANCE

High Points: Prime location in the city centre and easy walking distance from shopping centres, eateries and night life venues.

Low Point: If you're driving, expect to get stuck in the heavy traffic.

Find it: 9/9 Prachasumran Road, Khon Kaen

Pay for it: Bt2,232

Book it: (043) 322 155

Browse it: www.PullManHotels.com