The first Orient Express hotel will open in the King Power Mahanakhon Building in Bangkok in the last quarter of 2019, in a move parent company AccorHotels said is designed to bring some of the craftsmanship, dining, innovation and style of the historic Orient Express trains to the world of hotels.

Orient Express Mahanakhon Bangkok will feature 154 bedrooms, including nine suites and two penthouses, as well as an entire floor devoted to wellness, including an outdoor pool and Jacuzzi, plus signature Orient Express Spa by Guerlain.

Designer Tristan Auer has been tasked with reimagining the Art Deco stylings and plant motifs of the original Orient Express carriages into a modern skyscraper in the heart of Bangkok.

Guests will have access to the building's rooftop observation deck and rooftop bar. At 78 storeys, King Power Mahanakhon Building is currently the tallest building in Bangkok, and a visual landmark thanks to its dramatic exterior, which is encased in a glass curtain with cuboid spiral cut-outs that give it a pixelated appearance.

The hotel will open in the last quarter of 2019, 136 years after the Orient Express took its maiden voyage from Paris.

AccorHotels and SNCF Group signed a strategic partnership in 2017 to develop Orient Express hotels after Accor acquired a 50 per cent stake in the share capital of the brand. SNCF retains ownership of the seven original Orient Express carriages, which have been restored.

"Orient Express has always acted as a passport between worlds and a trip on these legendary trains was historical, touristic and cinematic with an inimitable experience,” said Sebastien Bazin, chair and CEO of AccorHotels. “This linking of Occident and Orient, of history and modernity, and of curiosity and cultures will be a hallmark of the new Orient Express Hotels and we are excited to bring back this spirit of luxurious adventure to today's modern travellers."