King Power Mahanakhon—currently the tallest building in Thailand—is set to welcome the world's first Orient Express hotel in late 2019, AccorHotels announced today (Dec 18).

The 154-room property takes over the space that had previously been earmarked for the Bangkok Edition hotel and is set to open in the final quarter of next year.

Launched in 1883, the Orient Express was a long-distance passenger train service operated by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits best known for connecting Paris and Istanbul. Thanks in part to myriad film and pop culture references, the train came to be synonymous with words like "luxury" and "exclusive."

The Orient Express Mahanakhon Bangkok will feature 154 rooms, including nine suites and two penthouses, with France's Tristan Auer, the Maison&Objet 2017 Designer of the Year, having the task of applying the Art Deco stylings of the Orient Express carriages to the interiors. 

The big news for Bangkokians is that the property will welcome two exciting restaurants: Mott 32, a modern Cantonese restaurant on the second floor named after the site of New York City's first Chinese convenience store; and Mahanathi, the new Thai fine-dining venture of David Thompson, formerly of Bangkok powerhouse Nahm, on the fifth floor. In a strange twist, Thompson's right-hand man at Nahm, Prin Polsuk, had originally been slated to take the reigns at Bangkok Edition's Thai fine-dining flagship. 

In addition, one of the building's 78 floors will be dedicated to wellness, including an outdoor pool and high-end spa by centuries-old cosmetics brand Guerlain.  

Back in April news broke that King Power bought Mahanakhon Tower—Thailand's tallest building—and the adjoining MahaNakhon Cube retail building from financially struggling developer Pace Development Corporation Plc. for a reported B10 billion.

Mahanakhon Tower mk. I held its official launch party in Aug 2016, during a grand event headlined by Pharrell Williams. 

Since then we've seen the closure of popular MahaNakhon Cube tenants Vogue Lounge and Morimoto. To lighten the gloom, however, King Power Mahanakhon last month unveiled an observation deck that sits a dizzying 314 meters above ground—the highest of all in Thailand—whose entry prices range from B850-1,050.