Went by there the other day and noticed that at least they had been bricking up some of the lower walls. But the hoarding around the perimeter (the construction wall) now advertised the opening date as 2009 (they had painted over the 2008 date - rather badly as you clearly see it).

Is this the slowest build of any hotel in Bangkok's history? How many years have they been building this joint? Talk about missing the action - by the time they're finished the world will be ijn one big recession and there WON'T BE any tourists to house!

(for those that don't know - it's on Suk around Soi 11 or 15 - that side of the street anyway)

Went by there the other day and noticed that at least they had been bricking up some of the lower walls. But the hoarding around the perimeter (the construction wall) now advertised the opening date as 2009 (they had painted over the 2008 date - rather badly as you clearly see it).

Is this the slowest build of any hotel in Bangkok's history? How many years have they been building this joint? Talk about missing the action - by the time they're finished the world will be ijn one big recession and there WON'T BE any tourists to house!

(for those that don't know - it's on Suk around Soi 11 or 15 - that side of the street anyway)

are you sure this is the Crowne; the site you are talking about sounds a lot more like the Regent, a Grande Asset disaster which is now a Lehman Brothers disaster. These are the same loons that screwed up the Trendy slumville and beer bar complex next door. This would indeed be the slowest building we've ever seen other than genuine non starter/concrete abandoned dumps, and the rumour is the hotel has pulled out anyhow.

Or are you talking about the Crowne which AFAIK is on the corner of Asoke?

The Crowne Plaze (a subsidiary of Holiday Inn) is around Asoke, and has no bearing on the Regent Residence. Two completely different projects. Really. I remember when the "Opening" sign read "2006", then "2007", then "2008", and now...2009. I'm not sure if the project is still (mis)managed by Grande Asset but, if I was on the Holiday Inn board, I wouldn't be happy with the situation.