TEPPING into the Conrad Bangkok is at once a surreal dip into a catwalk fantasy and a master class in intuitive service by one of the top Bangkok business hotels. Pools of light bring out the deep woody tones and the rich sheen of Thai fabrics as silk-draped staff click briskly through the lobby. A short walk or shuttle ride from the BTS SkyTrain station at Ploenchit (well positioned for access to Sukhumvit or Silom) and usefully adjoining the All Seasons Place office and shopping complex, this is a Bangkok oasis that speeds or slows as occasion demands.

The hotel has been a trend-setter since inception with stylish uniforms, sumptuous rooms and mischievous see-through glass-wall bathrooms where a soak in the tub will find you in the company of a yellow rubber elephant, not the de rigueur Conrad duck. Need pressies for the office? On the bed is a takeaway silk elephant.

Smart, uncluttered Executive Rooms offer a compact, stylish, footprint of 41sq m with Executive Suites spreading over 90sq m

(leaving more elbow room for that PlayStation 3). Expect a 32-inch flat-screen TV, work table with ergonomic chair, iron and ironing board, DVD player, an iPod dock, and complimentary Broadband. Plug in and work, or play. Grab an "Oxia" pressurised oxygen canister from the mini-bar and head out for a jog. Swim. Play tennis. Get your shoes shone. Leap about on that Serta Suite Dreams® bed. Try an exotic Shogun pillow (made from Japanese igusa grass). Or have a rubdown at Season’s Spa, which offers wellness by the yard, private steam rooms and a Japanese spa.

The Executive Lounge offers wraparound views where guests surf free on gleaming iMacs (some sporting a Windows interface) and enjoy breakfast, evening refreshments and canapés, little touches that make this one of the best Bangkok business hotels. For corporate meetings or weddings there is combined space for up to 1,200 with all hi-tech trimmings. The linked Conrad Residences offer a smart long-stay alternative. After hours, it's a must to head to the see-and-be-seen live-jazz Diplomat Bar – or bop at the trendy dance-and-dine 87 PLUS.