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Andre Fu reimagines Bangkok’s Dusit Thani, blending modernity and heritage in reborn landmark

Architect behind The Upper House Hong Kong revamps Thai capital’s famed hotel with blend of homage and contemporary flair

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André Fu in his office in Hong Kong. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Published: 1:00pm, 30 Mar 2025

In the heart of Bangkok, overlooking Lumpini Park, stands the reborn Dusit Thani hotel – razed in 2019 after a blockbuster half-century run and now completely rebuilt under the direction of Hong Kong’s André Fu. On every metric, it’s a remarkable second act, not least because the Cambridge University-trained, Royal Institute of British Architects-qualified architect has breathed new life into this legendary property without succumbing to nostalgia or sterile modernity.

In a city flooded with luxury hotels, Fu’s reimagining stands apart with singular clarity, the new incarnation, which opened last September, arguably representing his most sophisticated achievement since The Upper House in Hong Kong catapulted him to design stardom 16 years ago.

The lotus leaf-inspired hexagonal ceiling of the lobby at Dusit Thani Bangkok. Photo: courtesy Dusit Thani

Forget the usual hotel revival playbook, where designers cling to the past or erase it entirely. Step into Fu’s lobby, with its lotus leaf-inspired hexagonal ceiling – an arresting three-dimensional construct that echoes the original – and you experience something more nuanced: a space that nods to Thai heritage without becoming a cultural museum. It’s Thai design with the dust blown off.

When the original Dusit Thani opened, in 1970, it dominated Bangkok’s skyline as Thailand’s tallest building. For five decades, it thrummed as the city’s social heartbeat, hosting royal events, global leaders and celebrities in its restaurants, bars and ballrooms. The hotel’s golden spire, inspired by Wat Arun, became a distinctive silhouette on the Bangkok horizon.

A pillar from the old Dusit Thani Bangkok’s Benjarong restaurant now stands in the lobby of the new, Fu-designed hotel. Photo: courtesy Dusit Thani

But time had taken its toll. Low ceilings and outdated facilities no longer met the standards of modern hospitality. Rather than settle for another renovation, the third-generation owners, the Donavanik family, made the difficult decision to demolish the original structure for something new, tapping Architects 49 and OMA Asia for the glossy new 39-storey tower.