Iconic Bangkok hotel says hurt by Thai political row

By Raju Gopalakrishnan

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The service is impeccable as always, the cakes in the afternoon tea buffet are delicious and the views are fascinating, but Bangkok's iconic Oriental Hotel says it's been badly hit by Thailand's political crisis.

The 19th-century teak and marble hotel, which has hosted kings, presidents and authors including W. Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad, is just a few miles (km) from the crowds demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

But the liveried waiters, the wicker chairs with plump cushions, and the soothing view of barges chugging on the Chao Phraya River are a world away from the political row.

Nevertheless, many frightened tourists have cancelled reservations. Only half of the Oriental's 393 rooms remain booked for the next two months, against a projected 70 percent, General Manager Kurt Wachtveitl says.

"The current political crisis would hurt business for a few months before things return to normalcy," he said in a statement.

The hotel, rebranded last week as the Mandarin Oriental, faced losses of 120 million baht ($3.5 million) from the cancellations, he added.

Wachtveitl, who says he has experienced 10 previous coups, said it took the Oriental four to nine months to recover from previous crises, although this interval was getting smaller.

"After the 2006 coup, it was just two months," he said. "Each time, the Asians are quicker to come back."