InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping is a graceful sanctuary in Thailand’s northern capital
From welcoming chimes to a skybar, InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping blends five-star hospitality with Southeast Asian culture
![intercontinental chiang mai the mae ping hotel](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/at3YQkMukDjdQvWbhiWvg7-415-80.jpeg)
The rich history of Thailand’s Lanna Kingdom is celebrated in the new InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping Hotel, designed by Thai-based firm PIA Interior.
Hotel lobby
Located at the heart of Northern Thailand, the building is the conversion of the esteemed Imperial Mae Ping Hotel. ‘Converting the existing property into this new hotel was an exciting and complex process. Our main goal was to convey the story of Lanna through our design language,’ says senior designer at PIA Interior Panan Pechpool.
InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping Hotel honours the history of Thailand’s Lanna Kingdom
‘As visitors enter through the grand entrance doors, they will be greeted by harmonious gong sounds,’ notes the general manager of the hotel, Peter Pottinga. These chimes are a nod to the abutting Wat Chang Kong temple built by the local gong community over 600 years ago.
Hotel hallways
The hotel’s interior is a masterful homage to Lanna’s craftsmanship, with its slick bamboo panels, impressive lacquered wood items, and intricate metal detailing. ‘We drew inspiration from traditional Northern Thai furniture, murals, and techniques,’ states Pechpool. Here, white and gold hues are paired with alluring grey, black, and green accents, which add depth to the light-filled spaces.
The property has 240 rooms, and guests have views of the majestic Doi Suthep mountain, access to Chiang Mai’s bustling night market, and are a short walk away from the historic 13th-century Tha-Pae Gate. The restaurants and bars at the InterContinental Chiang Mai promise a rich Northern Thai experience with their delectable dishes and curated cocktails.
On the 16th floor, Hong’s Chinese Restaurant and Sky Bar serve exotic Asian meals alongside a Teresa Teng tea ceremony, which is a tribute to the famous Taiwanese singer who once frequented the hotel. As you venture around the building, a swimming pool, fitness centre, spa, event spaces, and magnificent Grand Ballroom for weddings, social celebrations, and corporate functions can all be found across various levels.
InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping is a blissful sanctuary that blends luxury with Southeast Asian culture, oozing opulence. PIA Interior has sensitively refreshed the existing building with immaculate attention to detail. ‘While many buildings remain stagnant, the Imperial Mae Ping has now been reborn,’ says Pechpool.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Championing the Lanna Kingdom, the InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping Hotel is a chance to connect with traditional Thai heritage in luxurious style.
chiangmai.intercontinental.com
The Mae Ping Grand Ballroom
The Grand Ballroom
Shawn Adams is an architect, writer, and lecturer who currently teaches at Central St Martins, UAL and the Architectural Association. Shawn trained as an architect at The Royal College of Art, Architectural Association and University of Portsmouth. He is also the co-founder of the socially-minded design practice Power Out of Restriction. In 2023, POoR won the London Design Festival’s Emerging Design Medal. Shawn writes for numerous international magazines about global architecture and design and aims to platform the voices of those living across the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa.
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Aman’s cabana pop-up shop arrives with an eye to sustainability
Find the new Aman cabana pop-up shop, in collaboration with Luxury Frontiers, at Amanpuri in Phuket, Thailand, and coming soon elsewhere
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Capella Bangkok interprets the city’s rich history — Bangkok, Thailand
By Chris Schalkx Last updated
-
Drop by Dough — Bangkok, Thailand
By Chris Schalkx Last updated
-
Kengo Kuma designs a pavilion of floating roofs for Aman’s new retail concept
At the Amanpuri in Phuket, Aman has enlisted Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to design a holistic pavilion to house a new retail concept. Reflecting Aman’s philosophy, the structure fuses traditional principles of Asian architecture with modern design with its rhythmic formation of floating roofs acheived through progressive engineering by Kengo Kuma and Associates
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
Mason Pattaya — Pattaya, Thailand
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
The Garden Wing at Sala Samui Chaweng Beach Resort — Koh Samui, Thailand
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
The villas at the Library — Koh Samui, Thailand
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Waldorf Astoria — Bangkok, Thailand
By Lauren Ho Last updated