Siam Paragon

Siam Paragon is an upscale shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. It is one of the biggest shopping centers in Asia. Opened on December 9, 2005, it includes a wide range of stores and restaurants as well as a multiplex movie theater (consisted of 15 large size theaters with one of the them having the biggest screen and seating capacity in Asia) and the Siam Ocean World aquarium (the largest aquarium in South East Asia) and an exhibition hall and also an opera concert hall. It also has a large bowling alley and karaoke center. It is a joint venture by Siam Piwat, the company that owns the adjacent Siam Center/Siam Discovery shopping malls, and The Mall Group, which also owns The Emporium. Siam Paragon has attracted large crowds since it opened, but financial results aren't reported by the privately held Siam Paragon Development.

Facts and statistics
Location :Rama I Road, Pathum Wan, Bangkok, Thailand
Opening date :December 9, 2005
Developer :The Mall Group and Siam Piwat
Management :The Mall Group
Owner :The Mall Group and Siam Piwat
No. of stores and services :270+
No. of anchor tenants :7
Total retail floor area :300,000 m2 (total retailed area)
Parking :For about 4,000 cars (100,000 m2)
No. of floors :10 (B - G - M - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 4A - 5-6

by south lift lobby)
Website : http://www.siamparagon.co.th

History

Siam Paragon was built on the former location of the Siam Intercontinental Hotel, which was torn down in 2002 at the end of its lease. The site, leased for 30 years, is Bureau of the Crown Property land and at one time was the royal parkland of the Srapatum Palace. During the mall's construction, waiting passengers on the Bangkok Skytrain's Siam station platform could watch the building take shape. Now the Siam station platform has one of the best views of the mall's raised courtyard, where many expositions and events are held. Often people will purchase a one-station trip ticket (with which they can leave the same station from where they purchased the ticket) simply to watch performances or other happenings on the courtyard.

When the mall opened on December 9, 2005, workers were still putting on finishing touches. During the first few months of its opening, there were signs of a hurried finish throughout the building, with unpainted ceilings and cracked floor tiles.

It was built at a cost of about 15 billion baht and covers an area of 52 rai (8.3 ha, 21 acres).
Three days after the grand opening of the Siam Paragon, a 10-year-old girl fell five metres through a gap on the main floor to the floor below. Matarika Kijjapathoomsak, or Nong Meena has been playing around a water garden on the main floor when she slipped through a space between a water garden and an elevator, dropping to the ground floor. She later died of her injuries. A visit by the Bangkok Post to the accident scene found no warning signs had been put up to tell visitors of the possible danger posed by the gap in the floor that Nong Meena slipped through. Only a line of plant pots were placed there as a temporary barrier to prevent shoppers from slipping into the three-metre-wide gap.

Clientele

Siam Paragon has become since its opening the place to be for Thailand's upper class, tourists, and locals who come to be seen. However, despite its reputation for showcasing hundreds of cars over $300,000 each, and some pushing a million dollars, its crosstown rival and rather empty Gaysorn has remained the most popular spot for ultra rich foreigners wishing to shop incognito. Gaysorn had been popular with Japanese in the early 1990s, and as of 2007 was where Emiratis, Saudis, and Qataris spent their riches.

Location

Siam Paragon is on Rama I Road in Pathum Wan district, and is adjacent to other shopping areas. It is next door to Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center and opposite Siam Square. MBK Center is nearby. An elevated walkway beneath the Bangkok Skytrain tracks links Siam Paragon to the Ratchaprasong intersection, where Central World Plaza, Gaysorn and several other shopping malls and hotels are located.

Transportation

-Bangkok Skytrain – Siam station has a bridge linked to Siam Paragon's M floor.
-Parking – 100,000 squares meters with spaces to accommodate 4,000 cars.

Facilities

Siam Paragon is situated on 13 acres (32 rai) and has a total gross area of 300,000 square meters.

Department store and retail shops

The Paragon Department Store comprises 50,000 square meters. Another 40,000 square meters are devoted to retail shops selling luxury brand apparel, jewellery, electronics, musical instruments, audio equipment, sporting goods and exotic supercars, as well as a Kinokuniya book store. Some of the most renowned boutiques found in Siam Paragon include Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga, Valentino, Kenzo, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Jimmy Choo, Chloè, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Gourmet Market and food halls

The Gourmet Market is an 8,000 square meter grocery store on the lower level of the shopping center. It is adjacent to a food court area that has a wide range of restaurants and food stalls.

Foreign restaurants
Siam Paragon has several restaurants and food outlets from other countries, including Tony Roma's, McDonald's, KFC, Haagen Daz, Swensen's Ice Cream, Fuji Japanese, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant, LeNotre, Orvin and many others.

Thai traditional art

There is a huge section of ultra chic Thai traditional arts stores carrying everything from tiny items to very expensive and highly decorative silk, ivory, and antiques, ostentatiously geared towards the extremely wealthy.

Royal Paragon Hall
The Royal Paragon Hall is an 12,000-square-meter events facility, with a capacity for around 5,000 people and is suitable for concerts, conventions and special exhibitions. for more information please visit: http://www.royalparagonhall.com/

Paragon Cineplex
See also: Paragon Cineplex
Operated by Major Cineplex, the 25,000-square-meter Paragon Cineplex comprises a 14-screen multiplex movie theater, including smaller Ultra Screen cinemas with reclining seats and the Enigma members-only lounge, as well as an IMAX theater and the Siam Pavali, a 1,200-seat theater suitable for theatrical and musical performances.

Leisure activities
A California Wow! fitness center is on the fourth level, while the 30-lane Blu-O Rhythm and Bowl and karaoke facility is on the sixth, adjacent to the Paragon Cineplex.

Hotel
The five-star Kempinski Hotel Siam and serviced apartment complex is being built on 13 acres at the rear of the Siam Paragon property; open in 2008.

Siam Ocean World

Inside Siam Paragon is Siam Ocean World, the biggest aquarium in Southeast Asia. Like many places in Thailand, Siam Ocean World practices race based dual pricing. Thai looking people pay 280 baht for children and 450 baht for adults. Other people pay 600 baht for children and 750 baht for adults regardless of country of residence or nationality. The lower prices are listed in Thai script so the majority of foreigners will never notice.