Sunday 27 March 2011

Lady in Red and Superwoman spotted in a Bangkok hotel.

Lady in Red in elaborate feathered head-dress
I watch her sashay across the grand lobby. Click, click, click, click, click go her stilettos on the marble floor. I notice other heads (mainly well-heeled be-suited males) tracking her course.

She is the Lady in Red. Not the one made popular in that song -- although maybe she was the inspiration, who knows? -- but Siam Kempinksi Hotel Bangkok's Lady in Red.

They are the 'brand ambassadors' for the hotel chain worldwide, I'm told. In fetching outfits designed and tailored in Milan, no less. They are somewhere between a concierge and guest relations officer. "Anything you need, you can ask her." Reality is, she is more useful on internal things around the hotel. The hotel does in fact have a very knowledgeable and charming full-time concierge.

"Sometimes when she has a day off, guests complain to me 'Where is the Lady in Red?', the hotel's PR guy tells me. Jing jing.

Which brings us to the other front-line staff. As Sofet took off from reception to show us to the room, her smart silk outfit seemed to sprout wings, and I was afraid she might literally take off and hit the soaring 30m ceiling of the grandly pillared lobby. Turns out there's a cape attached to her uniform.

"It's actually old Thai design, but many call us Supergirls," she laughs.

It's little touches like this that signal Kempinski is cut from a slightly different cloth.

PS: Does anyone know who was the inspiration for Chris De Burgh's song Lady in Red?


2 comments:

  1. Reply to your PS :
    De Burgh was working on a song called "The Way You Look Tonight," but there was already a song with that title. He started writing this about his wife Diane, after an argument, but he didn't finish it. Five months later, seeing her looking good in red inspired him to finish the song off and gave him the idea for the title "Lady In Red," which he used to complete the song.

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  2. love the tidbits and the way u write ur blog and the song 'Lady in Red'. *winx*

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