Retreat to Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, a sleek city sanctuary

Thirty-seven years after opening its first property in Phuket, Aman has returned to Thailand with an urban outpost that feels both familiar and fresh. Occupying a new 36-storey tower, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok’s sprawling leafy grounds command particular significance as they occupy the city’s last privately owned park, established in the early 1900s when the eponymous Nai Lert, an ice importer-turned-transportation magnate, transformed rice fields next to the British embassy into his private estate.

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Three generations later, his descendants have converted the old tennis courts into a millennial pasha’s pleasure dome, creating a rare urban sanctuary amid the chaotic sprawl. With just 52 suites and 34 residences, Aman Nai Lert maintains the brand’s signature restraint in scale. Suites begin at 92 sq m, with long-time Aman collaborator Jean-Michel Gathy translating key architectural elements of Nai Lert’s home into contemporary luxury. The hotel’s triple-layered ceilings and porte-cochère, for instance, echo the 1915 structure’s distinctive roofline, as do the narrow-planked flooring patterns and teak accents that feature in both the suites and public spaces.

In a city stuffed with luxury hotels, what separates Aman Nai Lert from the pack is its exacting attention to detail throughout. Panels, crafted in buffalo leather by Chiang Mai artisans, evoke Thai shadow puppetry, while teak boat motifs adorn the outdoor pool deck. The Aman Suite, set across an entire floor, features a coconut-shell wall installation outlining, in gold, the skyline of the ancient city of Ayutthaya, as well as moveable animal-print screens inspired by a bronze statue of the Lert family’s pet leopard.

The art programme, curated by Martin Gerlier, also creates a cohesive narrative linking the historic and the current, with a swathe of pieces by 80 local artisans. The lobby wall, featuring 3,000 white ceramic spinning tops arranged to form the Thai numeral one (a reference to the hotel’s address), speaks to both craft and symbolism, while a 12m-high ebony and gold sculpture, honouring the century-old chamchuri tree that anchors the property, demands attention as it rises through a triple volumed atrium.

The dining portfolio suggests serious intent. Italian restaurant Arva occupies the ninth floor alongside 1872, a lounge furnished with low-slung furniture and named for Nai Lert’s birth year. The 19th-floor Aman Club introduces two Japanese restaurants: Sesui’s intimate sushi omakase experience and Hiori’s theatrical teppanyaki offering, both a subtle nod to Nai Lert’s daughter, who developed a deep appreciation for Japanese aesthetics during her years spent attending college in Tokyo. The two venues also demonstrate a firm commitment to craft by producing their own miso and soy sauce.

The 1,500 sq m wellness centre seamlessly combines traditional Thai treatments – such as an addictive oil compress massage using a hot clay pot filled with lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime – alongside medical offerings of cryotherapy and IV vitamin drips. There’s also a pet-friendly floor (the 11th, honouring Eleven, the Lert family’s favourite dog – there were so many, they were numbered rather than named). Service, meanwhile, maintains that trademark Aman invisibility as staff move with discretion, appearing precisely when needed, then dissolving into the background.

In a city that teeters on the brink of overdevelopment, Aman Nai Lert stands as both a sanctuary and a statement. The property doesn’t merely preserve Bangkok’s last private park – it creates a dialogue between past and present that feels aptly resonant for a brand marking a long-overdue return to its Thai roots.

Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is located at 1 Soi Somkid, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.

A version of this article appears in the July 2025 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.