“We did not want our Penthouse Bar & Grill to be thought of as expensive or even as ‘fine dining’,” says Michael Golden, general manager of the Park Hyatt Bangkok, Thailand.
The 222-key hotel, which opened May 2017, is in a futuristic, sculpture-like building in what was once the garden of the British Embassy. Penthouse Bar & Grill, which occupies the 34th to 36th floors, quickly achieved local acclaim: In 2018 it was deemed Favorite New Bar and Best New Venue in Bangkok’s Best Restaurant Awards.
Golden, who was on site 18 months before the hotel’s opening, knew his venue would have considerable nearby competition. The hotel occupies from floors nine up. Below are floors of designer retail: Add to this Open House, a whole floor of bookstore with integrated eating spaces, plus another floor of supermarket and dozens of street-food hawker stalls.
“But Hyatt has had a focus and passion for F&B for many years. This started with interest from Jay Pritzker in providing great food and wine and somewhere to enjoy with family and friends,” explained the GM — who is, by the way, a motorbike enthusiast (his is a Triumph.)
It is not coincidental, therefore, that on arrival at the 34th floor of the hotel you are greeted by a BMW R27 motorbike, one of only 15,000 made in the 1960s (this is location-specific as Bangkok, a city of 8.3 million, sees an additional 400 motorbikes added to its transport every day). Some customers then go on up to the 35th floor cocktail bar, with a speakeasy whisky bar offering over 150 labels. Above this is the 36th floor rooftop bar.
But it is the Penthouse, on the 34th floor, that is the culinary venue. Its 75 seats, plus the eight-seat chef’s table, are full every night.
“I wish we could have set timings, to be able to turn tables, but unfortunately that does not happen in Bangkok,” explained Golden. A morning that starts with a couple of dozen reservations will in fact do well at lunch; and dinner, which runs from 5.30 p.m. to 1 a.m., will be sell-out.
Golden would also, at times, like to eliminate social media. “TripAdvisor does not pick up favourable comments — we did full house in our restaurant last night and yet I do not expect anyone to post,” he admitted last week.
Sometimes, however, social media helps promote the entire operation. Singer Ed Sheeran posted recently how he opened his hotel door to find a 6-foot cardboard box outside — inside was his wife, Cherry Seaborn, who had flown in from New York as a surprise for him.
“From the start we have worked on positioning of both the hotel and our F&B. We were not aggressive or arrogant. We knew we had to have superb service,” said Golden, who heads a team of 380.
The Penthouse runs with 11 servers, all knowledgeable on specific cuts of meat, from Australia, Japan and the USA. Menu best-sellers include Australian Wagyu tomahawks, 3 lbs 8 ounces to 4 lbs, intended for two to five diners (they cost US$14.72 per 3.5 ounces, plus 10% service and 7% government VAT tax).
“We price according to local restaurants rather than perceived higher-cost hotel prices,” declared Golden.
There is good repeat business for the Penthouse, and this will grow even more once a planned loyalty card, Dine@ThePark, is finalized. Already, the entire Penthouse Bar & Grill complex helps sell bedrooms.
“Popular also for the stunning views from the top of Park Hyatt, it helps with the decision-making process of guests who want to have a unique experience,” said the GM.