Fit for a queen

Miss Universe 2018 marks the third time Thailand has become the host country of this world-famous pageant. It is also the third time -- and sadly the last -- Dusit Thani Bangkok gets to host all of the competing beauty queens.

The hotel has become quite a fixture to the Miss Universe competition in Thailand as it has hosted the contestants when the competition took place in the country in 1992, 2005 and now in 2018, just before the hotel is due to close for redevelopment come early January. Miss Universe 2018 is one of its last and grandest events to cap off the legend of this 5-star hotel that has been in operation for almost five decades. It's a farewell like no other.

"It's an honour that we get to be a part of Miss Universe pageant again, and for the pageant and the ladies to be a part of this final chapter of our history," said Titiya Xuto, vice-president of operations Thailand and general manager of Dusit Thani Bangkok.

Titiya Xuto. Photos: Patipat Janthong

"We want to showcase to them what our hotel at its best is like before we bid farewell, because we will take a bow with grace. We don't want anybody to feel as though the hotel is old and irrelevant, and that's why it needs to go away. We're closing our door now in order to return much stronger as we do aim to be with Bangkok and our guests for many more decades to come," she said.

For this occasion, the team at Dusit Thani is going all out with an effort and attention to every little detail to create a long-lasting impression for its final guests. Prior to the ladies' arrival, the rooms and the entire hotel grounds were thoroughly checked, fixed and cleaned, its security tightened. From the moment the beauty queens arrived at the hotel, they were each treated with a special welcome dessert platter crafted by the team under Slawomir Golaszewski, the hotel's executive pastry chef.

The white and pink dessert came with the Miss Universe emblem and stars ("Because they all have good future ahead of them," said Golaszewski) made from chocolate, sugar paper and three flavours of chocolate truffles -- lychee, strawberry and rose -- mix of Asian and international flavours that Golaszewski intended to be a crowd pleaser.

The hotel also aimed to go out with a bang with the organisation of the Thai Night event, which was the largest gala dinner and fashion show held inside its lobby lounge. The event catered for 500 guests made up of beauty queens and VIPs.

Following the theme of auspiciousness, Dusit Thani's own florists created a gorgeous centrepiece from traditional flower garlands and pink lotus. The four-course meal served at the dinner also reflected this same theme under the creation of chef Anchalee Ponrungsit and her team. Together, they carved out some traditional Thai dishes that included spicy chicken salad served in a crispy cup, seasoned minced prawn wrapped in golden bag, river prawn with tamarind sauce, rice vermicelli with crabmeat curry and fried turmeric chicken. Each of the dishes carried different auspicious meanings such as wealth, fortune, blessing and longevity.

As for dessert, kalamare cake -- a signature dish at the hotel's Benjarong restaurant -- was served with ice cream, and it was a hit that got several beauty queens off their strict diet for a few minutes.

The preparation for Miss Universe contestants doesn't take place at the hotel's Bangkok branch alone, but also extends to Dusit hotels in Pattaya and Krabi where the ladies are currently staying during their excursion tour. In their absence, the Bangkok branch is now putting up Christmas decorations so the beauty queens will come back to a festive atmosphere.