Phya Thai Palace Hotel
Towards the end of his reign the King consulted his younger brother Prince Kamphaeng Phet, director of the Royal Railways Department at the time, regarding the upkeep of Phya Thai Palace, an enormous establishment whose maintainance in volved a large amount of money. If it were turned into a first-class hotel for foreigners who came for visit or on business, the hotel would pay its own maintenance. Unfortunately, nothing definite was planned before the King fell ill and passed away.
King Prajadhipok, who succeeded his brother, liked the idea and had the Royal Railways Department turned the palace into a first class hotel named Phya Thai Palace Hotel. He came to open it on February 18, 1926.
The new hotel was considered the most luxurious in the Far East. It boasted an ensemble of twenty musicians from the military band who played dance music on weekends. alternating with performances of singer and actors from Europe. When Luang Sukhum Naipradit returned from his studies in the United State, he organized a jazz band to play for guests at the hotel.
The hotel was chosen as the venue for the first meeting of the Bangkok Rotary club on September 17, 1930. A few months later, the King's brother, Prince Kamphaeng Phet, who was Commerce and Communications Minister at the time, inaugurated the Bangkok Radio Broadcasting Station at Phya Thai located at Waikun Thepayasathan Hall in the Phya Thai Hotel. King Prajadhipok's speech given on the anniversary of his coronation on February 25, 1931, was broadcast for the first time from the Radio Station of Thailand.
After the change of regime in 1932, Phya Thai Hotel suffered financially and the Ministry of Defense expressed interest in the premises for its military medical division. The cabinet at that time resolved to close down the hotel and had the radio station moved to Sala Daeng. the site of the telegraph transmitting station.
