Bangkok’s historic customs house in Thailand to become The Langham hotel
In Bangkok, Thailand, the former 1888 customs house on the banks of the Chao Phraya River will be converted into the luxury hotel The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok. The complex is scheduled to open on December 20, 2026. The hotel will have 60 rooms and 15 suites, while the historic buildings will house restaurants, bars, a ballroom and public spaces.
As Channel NewsAsia reports, the central building of the former customs house sank below river level over decades of neglect. Before restoration, engineers built a new foundation, installed 412 jacks beneath the structure and manually lifted it by two to five millimeters at a time over 18 months.
Preserving the historic building
The customs house was designed by Italian architect Joachim Grassi during the reign of King Rama V. The building was conceived as a gateway to Siam at a time when the Chao Phraya was Bangkok’s main route of communication with the outside world. It was later used for other purposes, most recently as a fire station, after which it stood abandoned for about ten years.
The Office of Bangkok Architects preserved surviving elements of the structure, including a substantial part of its wooden constructions. Restoration decisions were determined using historical records, photographs, archaeological finds and traces of original details in the building itself. During the work, the remains of an older structure linked to the collection of taxes and customs duties were also discovered, along with fragments of a mechanical clock whose origin was traced to Milan.
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Raising the central building made it possible to create a lower level called the Gallery. Parts of the old foundation will be displayed there through a glass floor, along with ceramics, bottles and other artifacts found during excavations.
New wing and restaurants
All guest rooms will be located in a new wing next to the three historic buildings. This is intended to reduce the need to remodel the old interiors and install modern engineering systems in them. The grand staircase will be restored in the main building, while the ballroom will retain visible historic roof beams. Glass elevators will be installed in a separate modern structure.
The former post and telegraph building will house T’ang Court, a restaurant making its Bangkok debut and associated with The Langham’s Hong Kong Cantonese restaurant, which has been awarded three Michelin stars. The complex will also open the Chuan Spa, the Crowntail bar with its own pier, and restaurants involving well-known Bangkok chefs. According to the hotel’s general manager, Nick Downing, about $250 million was invested in the project.
