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LIVING IT UP:
It's delightful, It's delirious, It's D2

As part of the Dusit Hotels & Resorts, the oldest Thai hotel management conglomerate with currently 18 properties in four countries, dusitD2 chiang mai, D2 for short, knows spic and span when it comes to the hospitality business. What's particularly good is the modern touch in the design with its unorthodox use of bright orange forming the main color element in the decor that you probably cannot find in any other hotels, here in Thailand or elsewhere.

Following a spur-of the moment appointment with the hotel PR manager, I set foot into the hotel early afternoon for a so-called `hotel inspection,' which actually meant taking a look around. I was welcomed by the amicable Khun Neung (Senior Desk Agent) who led me to the top floor to visit their health club facility called DFiT, while I was still stunned with the unusually hip, bright hall.

My hotel guide slipped a card, an ordinary key card it seemed, into the elevator while telling me that it can stop at certain floors only, identified by the key, to maintain optimum security. Guests receive only the key which unlocks the lift to their floor, and to public facilities like the health club, the lobby and the pool. Exceptions are always available upon prior arrangement, of course. For example, a family may be separated to different floors by their smoking habits, so they can request to be united and allowed access to another floor.

After the health club, we went down to the corporate lounge on the seventh floor. Any guests staying at any room in addition to the deluxe can indulge in private check-in here, and enjoy a full access to the lounge with free beverage all day, plus TV, and Wi-Fi internet connection, plus a treat of free beer and wine from 5-7p.m.

D2 offers altogether 131 rooms for the upper market, including 74 deluxe, 28 club deluxe, 28 studio suites, and one so-called D'suite. Each room features premium grade facilities such as panoramic flat screen color television with full cable access, down pillows, high speed internet access, dual phone line with voice mail, data port connections for modem and fax, airy bathrooms with designer amenities, and coffee and tea making facilities. Prices range from $US154 for a deluxe room to $US513 for the D'suite.

In the bathrooms, I noticed a green paper tag, declaring D2 takes part in the Green Leaf Foundation Project, an environmental awareness program initiated by the Thai Hotels Association since 1995. Like other environmentally-conscious hotels around the globe, D2 can change your bed linen and towel on a daily basis upon request.

Health facilities are a mandatory part of any upper end hotel nowadays. In fact, you don't need to be a guest to enjoy their `Devarana' spa service as well as the aforementioned DFiT health club. The Devarana offers the full-range of spa services.

Although on the surface, the room and facility details seem a bit cliched, you can tell from the moment you set foot in the hotel that there's much more to it than that. While other hotels anywhere else tend to make things bigger and bigger, the D2 tends to go for a friendlier workforce and sleek, minimalist decor details, emphasizing that striking orange color previously mentioned.

"D2 tends to go for a friendlier workforce and sleek, minimalist decor details."

When we were once more down in the lobby, I told Khun Neung that I wanted to wait a while to see the famous D2 staff's shift-change dance. So I was served a welcome drink, a refreshing ginger and lemongrass mix which came in an alarmingly eclectic wobbling glass. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but it can make everybody smile. Khun Neung said that once a Japanese company booked most of the hotel for their stay, and the execs loved this glass so much that they bought the complete set to take back home; and D2 had to place an urgent order to their Chiang Mai supplier in order to get the replacement set.

Then as the clock struck 2pm a new version of Cole Porter's famous De-Lovely came up on the loudspeaker, and some members of the staff who were finishing their duty came out to dance. No, sir, they're not at all professional dancers, but you can tell that for a hotel staff they are at least well-trained. Some displayed awkward, shy movements, but it was not in the least pretentious. (At this point, Khun Neung said, "They are shy because I am standing here. In front of complete strangers, these people dance like pros.")

To loud applause, this was how my visit too the extraordinary dusitD2 chiang mai concluded.

DusitD2 Chiang Mai Hotel, Changklan Road Tel. 053 999999 www.d2hotels.com

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Text : Terryl
Photos: SP