LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar, crowning Thailand’s first INNSiDE by Meliá hotel, has introduced a “Viva la Fiesta” experience replete with guest DJs, live percussionists, a giant pan of paella, and sweeping views of Bangkok’s skyline by night. Viva la Fiesta, which means ‘long live the party’ in Spanish, is staged every Wednesday from 7 pm until late at the authentic Spanish tapas bar on INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s 33rd and 34th floors. Spanish Chef de Cuisine, Madrid-born Juan Ignacio García Racionero, who has honed his craft in some of Spain’s top kitchens, has crafted a menu that celebrates Spain’s famed gastronomy. Dishes range from ‘Pulpo A Feira’ comprising octopus with potatoes and spicy paprika and ‘Chanquetes fritos’ made up of fried fish with fried eggs and roasted peppers to ‘Croquetas de ternera y tartar de tuna’ featuring oxtail croquettes paired with fresh tuna tartar. Other menu highlights include ‘Plato de jamon’, Iberian ham served with tomato-rubbed bread, and the Spanish omelette with creamy potato foam with truffle and Idiazabal cheese. Chef Racionero fires up his show-stopping giant pan of paella with rotating flavours such as seafood, pork, chicken and vegetables including mushrooms and Padrón peppers. Tapas are accompanied by fun cocktails such as ‘Agua de Valencia’ concocted with freshly squeezed orange juice, cava, vodka and gin, and Spanish favourite Sangria. In addition to live percussionists, the guest DJs spin Spanish-modern house and tribal beats weekly. As part of the event’s playful Spanish night theme, the optional dress code is red, black or bold, with a complimentary signature drink for the best-dressed guest in red and black attire. LUZ has quickly gained a reputation as ‘the place to be’ since its September 15, 2023 debut. LUZ offers authentic Spanish tapas, wines, beer on tap, cocktails, signature sangrias, spirits, mocktails, spirits and more. In a spectacle unlike any other in Bangkok, diners on the 33rd floor peer into the bottom of the hotel’s 34th floor infinity pool. Before joining INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit, the Madrid-born chef worked at one Michelin-starred Saddle as well as Diverxo, recognized in the top three ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ in 2023, and acclaimed restaurants El Jardin De La Marquina and Montellen. By night the hotel’s 34th floor, featuring a pool bar, transparent infinity pool, and rooftop terrace dotted with outdoor lounges, sunbeds and a compelling contemporary interpretation of Bangkok’s Brahman structure The Giant Swing, all become an upper-floor extension of 33rd floor LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar. The 33rd tapas bar’s design, including its striking angled lines and cabling, pay tribute to another iconic Bangkok landmark, Rama VIII Bridge. LUZ is open daily from 4pm until midnight. For further information and to make a reservation, visit https://linktr.ee/luzbangkok_tapasbar, https://www.tablecheck.com/en/innside-by-melia-bkk-luz-bangkok-tapas-bar/reserve/ or call +66 2 340 5499. About INNSiDE by Meliá INNSiDE is a collection of unique urban and beach hotels designed for those with curious minds and fluid lives. Always true to their destination, they give guests the freedom to connect or disconnect among an independent community of like-minded travellers. INNSiDE provides guests with all the everyday essentials and extra-special details to make their stay all the more unique. From in-room comforts to the inspiring Big Idea Space, Open Living Lounges, and fitness studios, we allow guests to feel more-than-at-home. Sustainability is also packed into all the little details: every room is equipped with paper and plastic-free collateral and complimentary organic cosmetics. INNSiDE celebrates the culture of each of its locations with an events calendar, handy city guides for guests, and by spotlighting a local artist’s work across the hotel walls and onto merchandise and staff uniforms. There are currently 38 INNSiDE by Meliá properties worldwide, with the brand continuing to expand its global footprint. All properties are located in the best lifestyle neighbourhood travel destinations. Some of them are Spain (Madrid, Mallorca, Ibiza, Fuerteventura, Zaragoza), United Kingdom (Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester), United States (New York, Lima), Germany (Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt, Munich, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Leipzig, Hamburg) Czech Republic (Prague), France (Paris), Italy (Milano), China (Zhengzhou), Indonesia (Yogyakarta), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Netherlands (Amsterdam) . Follow INNSiDE by Meliá on instagram @innside_by_melia and Facebook INNSiDE by Meliá  – https://www.innsidebymelia.com/

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INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit has clinched a coveted spot in the prestigious National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s 2024 Hotel Awards, taking out the title of the world’s best “Budget Break” hotel. The UK edition of National Geographic Traveller announced on October 3 the winners and runners-up of its annual Hotel Awards, designed to spotlight the world’s best new and improved hotels. “We’ve searched the planet for the world’s best hotels. Here are our picks,” National Geographic Traveller (UK) said. “It’s been an epic year for hotel openings, revamps and extensions, and we’ve scoured the globe for the best of them. Whether you want to tune into the jungle from a treehouse, sleep in a piece of history or watch the sun set over mountain peaks from your bed, you’re guaranteed a memorable stay from our winners and runners-up.” INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit was deemed the winner of “Budget Break” award category. The House of Gods in Scotland and Interno Marche in Italy were the category’s runners-up. “Wallet-friendly prices don’t have to come at the cost of style or substance, as these three hotels illustrate,” National Geographic Traveller (UK) said. The publication applauded the 208-room INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit for its “clutch of bars, restaurants and communal workspaces” and “crowning glory: a glass-bottomed infinity pool overlooking the metropolis”. “In a city increasingly dominated by ultra-luxe hotels, INNSiDE is something of a palate cleanser,” the publication said. “In Bangkok’s On Nut neighbourhood — a short train ride away from the Thai capital’s main action — this light and bright place offers an upscale stay without the matching price tag. Inside, the hotel has embraced a white palette with subtle nods to the city’s landmarks, with wavy ceilings that evoke the flow and majesty of the Chao Phraya River, and gold accents resembling the spires of the Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew temples. The restrained interiors are a wise choice that allows the spectacular sky-rise views to shine. The views provide a glittering urban backdrop for a swim, or for sunset tapas at the bar on the floor just below.” INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit general manager Aarron Nelson said he and his team were “over the moon our hotel’s name is in lights with Nat Geo Traveller”. “Since our hotel’s debut in July 2023, its Asian translation of the INNSiDE brand has truly resonated with all sorts of terrific travellers, connecting us with a wider, global audience, and this award win is testament to that,” he said. “Towering over On Nut, our hotel has many standout attributes ranging from a compelling design that references some of Bangkok’s most famous landmarks, integrated co-working spaces and a 33rd floor rooftop tapas bar where diners peer into the bottom of our 34th floor infinity pool.” The winners and runners-up appear in the publication’s November issue out now in the UK and online: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/national-geographic-traveller-uk-hotel-awards-worlds-best-hotels-2024 Other award categories include “Revamped Hotel”, “Romantic Bolthole”, “City Star”, “Food Hero”, “Beach Sanctuary”, “Wellness Haven”, “Remote Sleep”, “Clever Conversion”, “Eco-stay”, “Mountain Refuge”, and “One-of-a-kind”. INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit is the newest member of an eclectic collection of urban and beach INNSiDE hotels — in 14 different countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas — designed for those with curious minds who have a fluid lifestyle when it comes to work and leisure. For further information and to make a reservation, visit melia.com, call +66 2 340 5499 or email reservation.innside.sukhumvit@melia.com

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Juan Ignacio García Racionero, the Spanish chef de cuisine at INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit, will celebrate his native country’s “unique way of life” with two remarkable “Taste of Spain” events. On Friday September 6 and Saturday September 7 this year, the Madrid-born chef, who oversees INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s signature LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar, will take over Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa’s seafront restaurant Big Fish & Bar to orchestrate a four-course feast with optional wine pairing. He honed his craft in some of Spain’s finest kitchens, working at one Michelin-starred Saddle as well as Diverxo, recognized in the top three ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ in 2023, and acclaimed restaurants El Jardin De La Marquina and Montellen. His decade-long experience as a chef includes stints at restaurants Puerta 57, Café Pino, Restaurante La Chans and Rios De Luz, and hotels including Morlans Hotels and Globales Don Pedro in Mallorca. To be held from 6pm onwards and priced at THB 3,500++ per couple for food only or THB 4,900++ per couple including a full wine pairing, the “Taste of Spain” dinners will feature Chef Racionero’s most popular dishes at LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar. The dinner starts out with appetizers such as traditional jamón croquettes, lime-smoked sardine with Pipirrana salad, pani puri with cured Hamachi sashimi and roasted peppers, and crispy layered potato with truffled egg yolk and Idiazabal cheese. After octopus and shrimp paella, diners can choose between two main courses; Iberian pork cheek with Spanish sauce, mashed potatoes and vegetables, or sea bass fillet with Bilbaina sauce, shallots and bok choy. A selection of desserts such as Basque cheesecake, Catalan cream mille-feuille with passionfruit, rice pudding with spicy strawberries, and Spanish leche frita (fried milk) will round off the dinner. As part of the optional wine pairing, beverages include sparkling white Sangria, rose wine, classic dry sherry, aromatic white wine, red wine, oxidative aged dry sherry, crisp white wine and a dessert cocktail. “The ‘Taste of Spain’ events are my personal way of paying tribute to Spain’s unique way of life, where we celebrate the simple pleasures in life such as Spain’s famed gastronomy, along with the likes of spectacular sunsets and chilled out music,” Racionero said. “It’s a privilege to share my passion for Spanish cuisine, an extraordinary cuisine, in what promises to be a truly immersive experience that takes diners on a culinary pilgrimage of Spain.” For more information about “Taste of Spain” and reservations, please call +66 (0) 32 904 666, or email huahinrestaurants@marriott.com.

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Thailand’s first INNSiDE by Meliá hotel is hauling in locally sourced seafood and breaking out the tables every Friday and Saturday evening for a buffet dubbed the ‘Weekend Seafood Catch’. Highlights of the feast at INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s all-day dining restaurant The Kites Eatery include grilled Ayutthaya river prawns, fresh seafood on ice such as oysters, rock lobsters, crabs, clams and mussels, and the steamed catch of the day. Other buffet options include spicy salmon sashimi, grilled scallops, hot dishes such as crab curry and Thai beef noodles, colourful salads, roast vegetables, a selection of cold cuts and cheeses, and desserts such as playful cakes with customised ‘INNSiDE’ chocolate pieces. The seafood is accompanied by an array of condiments including the recommended chilli sauce. Fashioned by executive chef Katisak ‘Note’ Pinkaew and his team, the Weekend Seafood Catch is served every Friday and Saturday from 6-10pm. It is priced at THB 999++ per person and THB 499++ per child aged six to 11 years inclusive of food and selected soft drinks. Situated on the hotel’s 31st floor, The Kites Eatery is dominated by soaring windows giving way to spectacular views of Bangkok. It is adorned with abstract artwork of kites – a reference to the popular pastime of kite flying in state park Sanum Luang. Open from 6.30am-11pm, the restaurant serves up central, northern, north-eastern and southern Thai cuisine a la minute using quality ingredients sourced from local farms. The hotel’s chefs serve a healthy buffet breakfast and a la carte menu from noon, as well as customised lunches and banquets for meetings and events. The hotel’s dining landscape also pays homage to Meliá’s Spanish origins and celebrates Spain’s gastronomy. LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar offers authentic tapas, Spanish wines, beer on tap, cocktails and signature sangrias. By night the hotel’s 34th floor, featuring a pool bar, transparent infinity pool, and rooftop terrace dotted with outdoor lounges, sunbeds and a compelling contemporary interpretation of Bangkok’s Brahman structure The Giant Swing, all become an upper-floor extension of 33rd floor LUZ Bangkok Tapas Bar. INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit, which debuted in July 2023 in Bangkok’s On Nut neighbourhood, is the newest member of an eclectic collection of urban and beach INNSiDE hotels. The hotels are located in 14 different countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas and are designed for those with curious minds who have a fluid lifestyle when it comes to work and leisure. Situated at 1472 Sukhumvit Road, the hotel is a 30-minute ride from Suvarnabhumi Airport and close to an array of services and attractions suited to business and leisure travellers including the On Nut BTS Skytrain station and Bangkok’s largest convention centre, BITEC. To further information or to make a booking at The Kites Eatery, visit https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/thailand/bangkok/innside-bangkok-sukhumvit or https://www.tablecheck.com/en/innside-by-melia-bkk-kites-eatery/reserve/ , call +66 2 340 5499 or email reservation.innside.sukhumvit@melia.com

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Thailand will soon open the doors of its first INNSiDE hotel, a design marvel that “challenges convention” with a sky-high transparent infinity pool, integrated co-working spaces and authentic Spanish tapas bar. Set to debut this July, INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit joins a collection of unique urban and beach hotels in 14 different countries designed for those with curious minds who cultivate a fluid lifestyle when it comes to work and leisure. Always true to their destination, they give guests the freedom to connect or disconnect among an independent community. Situated in the heart of the action in Bangkok’s lively On Nut neighborhood, the 208-room INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s stunning design draws inspiration from some of Bangkok’s most famous landmarks such as the Chao Phraya River and temples Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew. To wit, the tapas bar’s angled lines and cabling reference Rama VIII Bridge. Graphic glass walls hung in the 31st floor all-day dining restaurant depict state park Sanam Luang. The rooftop pool area features a contemporary interpretation of Brahman structure The Giant Swing. Guests will soak up Bangkok’s mesmerizing skyline from the soaring windows of an expansive 32nd floor co-working space. Bespoke social and corporate events make the most of the hotel’s creative, playful meeting rooms and multifunctional areas, such as the aptly named Big Ideas Space, that underscore the INNSiDE brand. The lifestyle hotel’s pièce de résistance is the spectacular two-story infinity pool that, together with the rooftop pool bar, crowns the hotel’s uppermost floor, the 34th floor. At the Spanish tapas bar on the 33rd floor, each and every seat is an opportunity for a culinary pilgrimage across Spain. With classic tapas, Spanish wines, beer on tap, cocktails and signature sangrias in hand, tapas bar guests peer into the bottom of the swimming pool; a visual wonder unrivaled in Bangkok. Beyond its Spanish roots, the hotel’s dining landscape highlights local cuisine. All-day dining “Kites Thai Eatery” celebrates local food throughout the Kingdom, with quality ingredients sourced from local farms. The Open Living Lounge, a café and lobby bar integrated into the 32nd floor’s coworking space, serves grab-and-go barista coffee and morning pastries, Spanish afternoon tea, and Thai and Western comfort food, with drink trolleys to boot. Room service is 24/7. Fresh-faced and exuding modernity from every corner, eight accommodation categories come with work desks and DreamMaker mattresses. In-room perks range from complimentary minibar items, organic bathroom amenities and natural cork yoga mats to 50-inch TVs, Wi-Fi, and USB chargers. Rooms on the upper floors afford great views of the Thai capital. A 30-minute ride from Suvarnabhumi Airport and close to Bangkok’s largest convention centre, BITEC, the hotel is also home to a 24-hour gym and a concierge service. A ban on single-use plastic and recycled glass bottles for drinking water are among the hotel’s raft of sustainability efforts. “In a first for Bangkok, we’re giving our guests the freedom and flexibility to move seamlessly from work, to leisure, to wellbeing. Our new lifestyle hotel enriches the everyday experience with multi-purpose spaces, stand-out service, and inspiring local influences,” said Ignacio Martin, Meliá Hotels International Managing Director for Asia Pacific. “Together with my imaginative team, INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit would have to be, hands down, the most dynamic hotel project I’ve worked with hitherto; the buzz is palpable,” added the hotel’s general manager Aarron Nelson. “Our new hotel challenges convention by offering the unexpected, with its endless opportunities to seek stimulus, inspiration and adventure with every step – and occasionally time to relax too.” To mark the hotel’s debut, a 15% off introductory offer on room rates applies from July until October 2023. Visit melia.com or email reservation.innside.sukhumvit@melia.com

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