The Chao Phraya River runs through the heart of old Bangkok, an area offering a very different feel to the city’s modern-day CBD. Modernity is still apparent however, in more recent years the ornate temples lining its banks have been joined by clusters of international hotels and resorts.
 
“Arriving into Bangkok by river is a unique way to transport groups directly into Thai culture,” says Volker Capito of Capito Consulting. “Particularly for groups arriving in the morning, river transfer from the pier near the airport is a relaxing way to get to the hotel while avoiding peak-hour traffic and ensuring guestrooms will be ready on arrival. We recently transferred 150 Lions Club delegates on a two-and-half-hour boat ride. It was not too hot in the morning and we served breakfast and had masseuses on-board as well.”
 
Most of the riverside hotels have in-house boats available for charter.
 
Left bank
Millennium Hilton (543) is the newest addition to the riverside hotels and offers a range of contemporary venues for events. Top of the list is Maya, a high-floor venue serving a 15-course set menu of tapas-style Thai fare. Dancers from the nearby Patravadi Theatre provide entertainment throughout the evening. The hotel’sThree Sixty Lounge on the 32nd floor is a great option for pre-dinner and welcome receptions. There are 15 meeting rooms seating up to 420 delegates for banquets. There is also an on-site arcade with several stores selling souvenirs, silks and traditional Thai gifts.
 
Peninsula Bangkok (370) is ideal for small- to mid-sized groups. There is a wide range of venues on offer both indoors and out. The ballroom has an elegant pre-function space and seats 420 guests for banquets, while smaller groups are best suited to Chintara Room, with seating for 90 diners and its own foyer. Along with the function rooms, the hotel’s lawn is a popular choice for Loy Krathong (light festival) themed dinners, and the adjacent riverside bar serves as a good pre-event cocktail venue. Triptara Thai restaurant is often used for private group breakfasts and the 37th-floor Paribatra Aviation Lounge doubles as a reception venue for 30 people, with a plush air traffic control room for the hotel’s helipad. The two-storey riverfront venue Jesters was converted into a full-time function venue last year. For incentive groups, Peninsula offers an 18-room spa as well as corporate golf days for up to 40 delegates at the Thai Country Club, with whom it shares an owner.

Royal Orchid Sheraton (726) recently completed a two-year, US$3.7 million renovation. The hotel has some of the largest meeting facilities in the city, with more than 4,100 sqm in total function space. The ballroom has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river and seats 1,250 in theatre style. There are 13 supporting rooms, seven with river views. Outdoor spaces are equally sizeable. The poolside garden is a great setting for evening receptions, with peacocks and some of Bangkok’s oldest trees dotting a large lawn. The Riverside Terrace can host 150 people for sunset cocktails and can also serve as a gathering point before boarding a cruise via the adjacent dock. For executive delegates staying on the Towers floors, the 27th-floor Towers Lounge offers panoramic views of Bangkok.
 
Resort appeal
Marriott Bangkok Resort & Spa (413 guestrooms) offers a true resort experience for visiting groups. The low-rise property is spread over a huge area featuring nine F&B outlets, 15 meeting rooms totalling over 2,200 sqm and sprawling lawns. For a memorable welcome dinner that introduces guests to the Thai way of life, The Riverside Terrace can be booked for corporate events of 200 people. The open-air space features live cooking stations and an international barbeque buffet. Fresh seafood is cooked to order and customised menus can be arranged. The highlight is the performance stage complete with fire cauldrons, which features traditional dancers wearing intricate costumes. The hotel also operates a fleet of luxuriously refitted Thai rice barges.
 
Shangri-La Bangkok (799) is spread over two wings and extensive landscaped grounds. The hotel completed a full renovation earlier this year, the last phase of which included new residential-style meeting facilities, Horizon Club guestrooms and lounge, as well as an upgraded lobby in the Krungthep Wing. Its Riverside Lounge is set against towering floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the river, a great setting for receptions with customised firework displays.  The new Club guestrooms are fitted with the latest AV equipment and amenities, but it is the local design touches that leave an impression. Traditional scenes from the Ramayana are painted with touches of gold on solid wooden boards mounted above most beds, lending a distinctly Thai feel. The Grand Ballroom seats 1,600 people theatre style and there is outdoor space for events of 550 people. Its Horizon II boat can take groups of 100 people to Ayutthaya or host buffet dinner cruises.