Hotel of converted train carriages is stunning, shame about the service
The hotel
Intercontinental Khao Yai Resort
Check-in
All aboard: The balcony of one of the converted train carriage suites.
All aboard! After a three-hour transfer from Bangkok to Pak Chong in Thailand’s north, I arrive at the check-in counter of InterContinental’s Khao Yai Resort, which opened in August 2022. A refreshing chai-spiced drink greets me at reception, which is decorated like a train station ticket office and features an assortment of vintage railway memorabilia, including a rescued locomotive control box from a disused train. After collecting my ticket (room key), a golf buggy whisks me and my luggage alongside a railway track to my room.
The look
Striking locomotive architecture runs strong throughout.
Designed by award-winning architect and interior designer Bill Bensley, the new hotel is a love-letter to north-eastern Thailand’s railway history, when King Rama V laid the first train tracks in 1891 and opened the region to travel and trade. Striking locomotive architecture runs strong throughout the main building’s 45 rooms, which are designed to look like art deco-styled train carriages, however the star attractions are the 16 luxury suites upcycled from real train cars, including the one my golf buggy pulls up at.
The room
The rooms are reminiscent of an art deco train carriage.
My three-compartment Heritage Railcar Bedroom Suite is dripping in gold and decadent details from the Roaring 20s. I step into the first compartment, which features an elongated coffee and bar station leading to a private lounge and a flat-screen TV mounted on an easel. Artefacts and artworks guide me to the middle bathroom carriage, where copper-brushed mirrors and vanities hang over marble benchtops and golden basins. The shower and toilet are separated, with luxe Byredo amenities. The last carriage is the bedroom, where a step leads to a king bed laid on the parqueted timber floor. There is ample storage as well as a safe, umbrella, extra pillows and fluffy robes. My private deck has its own pool and a bathtub facing downhill towards the lake. My carriage is a little too close to the neighbours to ensure total privacy.
Out + about
The resort is at the edge of World Heritage-listed Khao Yai National Park, Thailand’s oldest national park, and there are plenty of chances to explore the outdoors. Bookable “Signature Tours” include cycling excursions to nearby communities and tastings at family-run wineries, but I opt for a guided walk through the national park with village elders in search of wild bison. About the hotel you can join a yoga class, swan around the lake, or stretch out poolside at the Terminus Bar.
KhaoYai InterContinental Khao Yai Resort hotel.
Food + drink
Somying’s Kitchen offers a breakfast buffet and all-day menu of Thai crowd-pleasers for lunch and dinner. The staff are well-intentioned however the service level and attention to detail doesn’t match the decor. It takes an hour before staff tidy tables mounted high with plates from previous guests. Elsewhere, the Tea Carriage offers formal afternoon tea, while French brasserie and cocktail bar, Poirot, serves refined European cuisine.
A pool of one’s own.
The essentials
Intercontinental Khao Yai Resort: 262 Pong Talong Sub-District, Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima 30450, Thailand. PH: +66 44 082 039. See intercontinental.com/khaoyai. Rooms from $450 a night, and from $550 for a Heritage Railcar Bedroom Suite.
The verdict
A stunning architectural hotel that honours the region’s past and serves as a launching pad to explore a less-frequented part of Thailand’s natural heritage. Unfortunately, the resort is held back by uneven service.
Our rating out of five
★★★
Highlight
A late-night soak in my private pool while listening to the hum, chitters and caws of the nighttime rainforest.
Lowlight
Ordering a coffee and watching it go cold on the pass while the waitress looks at her phone.
Justin Meneguzzi travelled as a guest of Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts.
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