Living in a Dream World

Glitz is a Vikram Chatwal hallmark. When the 35-year-old scion of Indian-American hotel-and-restaurant tycoon Sant Chatwal got married in February to Bombay socialite Priya Sachdev, the wedding was spread over 10 unrestrained parties in three Indian cities for a full week, and drew celebrities like Bill Clinton (Sant is a serious donor to the U.S. Democratic Party) and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. The style of Vikram's personal hotel group, called Hautel Couture, is just as extravagant as its owner.

Hautel Couture's boutique flagship, Dream, has followed its first property in midtown Manhattan with a sleek, glass-wrapped edifice in Bangkok (www.dreambkk.com). Its resident manager, Adi Jaya, is a dapper Balinese who trained at the sumptuous Asian chain Amanresorts, so you can expect your total experience?accommodation, service, dining?to be sublime. Inside the guest rooms, the accent is purely contemporary: white walls and leather chaises, cerulean lighting, Egyptian cotton linen tucked into platform beds, iPod nanos and 42-inch plasma TVs, while the two suites boast deep-soak baths and bars stocked with Veuve Clicquot and 42 Below. The overall effect is a cool look and a pampered feel. Vikram's next undertaking is a hotel in central London. The Dream lives on.