Thai Song Greet (hotel)

[dorothyandles]

Such a mellifluous and welcoming name in English, but what does it mean in Thai? Something like 'Thai Business (or Commercial) Inn'?

Former backpackers' haven in Rama 4 road, Bangkok, which closed in 1980. Now 3 floors of offices. You can read the Thai script in the picture. Any old-timers ever stay there? David Davies, en route to Hong Kong and editor-to-be of the Far Eastern Economic Review, stayed there in 1966. But by 1979 when I visited, it was a dirty old dive, with a smoky ground-floor Thai-Chinese restaurant and interesting travel tales from the fellow diners.

Edited March 20, 2009 by dorothyandles

[Rikker]

The script reads โรงแรมไทยทรงกิจ /roong raem thai song kit/. The English name is basically just a selection of similar-sounding words with positive meanings.

By looking on Google, ทรงกิจ /song kit/ is found in a number of business names, chosen for its auspicious meaning.

ทรง means "maintain, keep going" (it's related to ดำรง and ธำรง, for those interested), "to remain, stay the same," or "to possess, be possessed of".

กิจ means "work, activity, business"

So the rough meaning of ทรงกิจ /song kit/ is basically "stay in business" -- the Thai part is obvious enough. (And โรงแรม /roong raem/ just means "hotel")

[harrry]

What Thai Song Greet means to me.

Sitting eating and drinking and talking to nice (or very nice) thai girls all hours of the night.

Eating good cheap food

Drinking lots of Meekong and cokle

The fumes of burning chillies about three in the morning....some say for the next days cooking but probably to clear the long term sitters out.

Edited March 20, 2009 by harrry

[Roota]

David Davies, en route to Hong Kong and editor-to-be of the Far Eastern Economic Review, stayed there in 1966.

I was a few years too late to bump into Mr. Davies there, but I believe his name was Derek. What a classic hotel that was . . . .