Kee Hua Chee Live!: CENTRAL EMBASSY IS BANGKOK'S NEWEST, GREATEST AND MOST SENSATIONAL, LUXURIOUS SHOPPING MALL AND HAS NO DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
OWNED BY CENTRAL DEPARTMENT STORES, CENTRAL EMBASSY IS THE LATEST JEWEL IN BANGKOK'S SHOPPING MALLS.

LOCATED ON PLOENCHIT ROAD AND NEXT TO ITS FAMOUS SIBLING CENTRAL CHIDLOM DEPARTMENT STORE, CENTRAL EMBASSY IS THE LATEST AND GREATEST SHOPPING MALL CONCEIVED AND BUILT BY CENTRAL GROUP,THAILAND'S PRE-EMINENT RETAIL CHAIN WHOSE STORES ARE ALL CALLED CENTRAL FOR OBVIOUS REASON.

CENTRAL EMBASSY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EMBASSIES FROM ANY NATION NOR CAN ANYONE SEEK POLITICAL ASYLUM HERE. IT IS CALLED CENTRAL EMBASSY INSTEAD OF CENTRAL PLOENCHIT BECAUSE CENTRAL GROUP PURCHASED THE LAND THAT HOUSED THE BRITISH EMBASSY!

THE BRITS SOLD THE LAND FOR RM 600 MILLION AND PROMPTLY MOVED OUT TO CHEAPER PREMISES!

BUILDING THE 37-STOREY BUILDING COST ANOTHER RM 700 MILLION AND ANOTHER RM 500 MILLION FOR THE INTERIORS AND FIXTURES. THE GLASS PANELS ALONE COST RM 10 MILLION. THE TOTAL COST IS RM 1.8 BILLION, MAKING CENTRAL EMBASSY THE HIGHEST INVESTMENT PER SQUARE METRE.

CENTRAL EMBASSY IS POSSIBLY THE WORLD'S MOST LUXURIOUS SHOPPING MALL AS IT IS BRAND NEW WITH ITS OPENING PARTY ON 8 MAY 2014.

THE SHOPS OCCUPY 144,000 SQ METRES WHICH TAKE UP 8 STOREYS WHILE THE TOWER WILL BE THE NEW PARK HYATT, A 6-STAR SUPER HOTEL THAT PICKS ONLY THE MOST FASCINATING CITIES TO CALL HOME. PARK HYATT IS THE TOP OF THE RANGE OF THE HYATT GROUP WHICH IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ITS POOR COUSINS GRAND HYATT AND HYATT REGENCY!

EVEN SINGAPORE DOES NOT HAVE A PARK HYATT AND LIKE KUALA LUMPUR, HAVE TO MAKE DO WITH ONLY GRAND HYATT! MOST PEOPLE THINK GRAND HYATT IS MORE HIGHCLASS, EXTRAVAGANT, EXCLUSIVE AND EXPENSIVE THAN THE BOTANICALLY NAMED PARK HYATT BUT THIS IS NOT SO!

CENTRAL EMBASSY IS THE FIRST BUILDING ON EARTH WHERE THE STRUCTURE IS CURVED IN 3D AT THE FRONT, SIDE AND TOP. THERE ARE NO SHARP CORNERS OR SIDES WHICH CAN SHOOT 'POISON ARROWS' IF YOU ARE INTO FENG SHUI AS THE CORNERS ARE ALL SEXILY ROUNDED, CURVACEOUS AND OF COURSE ORGANIC.

THE BUILDING'S FACADE IS COATED WITH 800,000 MADE TO ORDER ALUMINUM SHINGLES REMINISCENT OF REFLECTIVE THAI TEMPLES WHICH GLIMMER AND GLEAM LIKE THAI SILK. EVEN THEIR INSTALLATION WAS A CHALLENGE DUE TO THE ROUNDED SHAPE OF CENTRAL EMBASSY. RATHER SIMILAR TO THE 'MYSTERY SETTING' USED BY VAN CLEEF & ARPELS IN SETTING THEIR PRECIOUS STONES!

SUFFICE TO SAY ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS ARE LOCATED HERE, ALL 200 OF THEM, FROM PRADA TO GUCCI TO CHANEL BUT NOT LOUIS VUITTON, STRANGE TO SAY. PRADA, HERMES, BOTTEGA VENETTA AND CHANEL HAVE THEIR FLAGSHIP STORES HERE AND RALPH LAUREN IS ALSO LOCATED ON THE STREET LEVEL WHICH IS SUPER PRIME AND I THOUGHT THIS COVETED SPACE IS RESERVED FOR COUTURE, HIGH-END LABELS AND NOT THE LIKES OF RALPH LAUREN AS I DON'T HAVE A SINGLE RL IN MY WARDROBE!

WITH CENTRAL EMBASSY, BANGKOK IS NOW POISED TO BE SOUTHEAST ASIA'S PARTY CENTRAL FOR UPSCALE SHOPPING!