Kahavadi Chiang Rai brings 167 riverside rooms, three restaurants and Lanna merchant-house design to one of Thailand's most culturally rich provinces.
Hilton has planted its first flag in Northern Thailand with the opening of Kahavadi Chiang Rai, Curio Collection by Hilton, a 167-room retreat on the banks of the Mae Kok River. It is both Hilton’s debut in the region and the first Curio Collection property in Chiang Rai, and it leans hard into a sense of place – the design is a contemporary reimagining of a Lanna merchant residence, the kind of river-trading house that once lined these northern waterways.
That heritage shows up in the details: soft white tones and arched architecture, timber shutters and rattan, hand-carved wood and woven accents. The region’s creative identity is front and centre too, with works by Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai-based artists throughout and ceramics from Huenpatima Ceramics in nearby Phayao. The 167 rooms span seven types, from the entry-level Deluxe rooms and garden-terrace and pool-access variations up to the 225-square-metre, two-bedroom Kahavadi Family Suite. All of them look onto the gardens, the pools or partial views of the river, and each comes with a specially blended tea from Wa Wee Hill served in local ceramics.
Dining follows the province’s old trade routes. Larderley, the all-day venue, riffs on the Thai pinto tradition of shared meals; Tasabiang serves refined Northern Thai cuisine along the river; and The Ledger, the lounge and bar, takes its cue from the merchant’s ledger with crafted cocktails and small plates. Wellness is rooted just as firmly in the North: the eForea spa centres its treatments on Tok Sen, an ancient technique that uses rhythmic wooden tapping to ease muscular tension.
Beyond the property, a curated discovery programme is designed to pull guests into the rhythm of the region – guided bicycle tours to nearby temples, traditional alms-giving, and hands-on Lanna cooking classes that begin with a walk through the hotel garden and a local market. Chiang Rai’s headline sights are close at hand, with the city centre a 10-minute drive away and the White Temple, Blue Temple and Golden Triangle all within reach, along with the tea-covered hills of Doi Mae Salong and the sunrise viewpoints of Phu Chi Fa.
For meetings and celebrations, the hotel offers 1,980 square metres of event space across six venues, anchored by a 1,762-square-metre riverside lawn and ballroom. The opening builds on recent momentum for Curio in Thailand, following KROMO Bangkok, and adds another distinctive address to the brand’s growing lifestyle portfolio in the region. The property is part of Hilton Honors.
