Thailand

A guesthouse called the Oriental is recorded on the Chao Phraya, run by two Americans Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Fire destroys seventy buildings along the Bangkok riverfront, including the Oriental Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

The Oriental takes 1876 as its official birth on the Chao Phraya, over an earlier river rest-house; the Authors Wing follows in 1887 under Hans Niels Andersen, who had bought the premises in 1881

claimed The Oriental Bangkok dates its founding — a date set by the board in 1976 to permit a centenary Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Hans Niels Andersen, aged 29, buys the Oriental and rebuilds it as the first luxury hotel in Siam Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

The Cardu and Rossi building opens in May — today the Oriental's Authors' Wing Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Khao San Road is built as a rice market in the reign of Rama V

Louis Thomas Leonowens, son of Anna Leonowens, becomes proprietor of the Oriental Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Chatuchak begins in Bangkok by government decree; it grows to fifteen thousand stalls Chatuchak Weekend Market

Chanut Piyaoui opens the Princess Hotel in Bangkok in May — a pool and air conditioning, rare in the city Dusit Thani

Jim Thompson assembles his house in Bangkok from six traditional teak structures brought from Ayutthaya

Fire destroys seventy buildings on the Bangkok riverfront; the Oriental is rebuilt Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

William Heinecke founds his first companies at seventeen Anantara Hotels & Resorts

The Oriental joins Mandarin International and gives the group its name Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Lonely Planet lists Khao San Road with two hotels and three guesthouses; the entry point through which budget travel reached Southeast Asia is now on a map

Boonchu Rojanastien demolishes his Hua Hin beach house to build a retreat Chiva-Som programme

Boonchu Rojanastien opens Chiva-Som at Hua Hin — the first Asian destination spa Chiva-Som

Chiva-Som opens — Asia's first comprehensive wellness resort Chiva-Som programme

Anthony Lark leaves Aman after twelve years and five openings to join Montara Hospitality and design Trisara

Minor launches Anantara, its first proprietary luxury brand Anantara Hotels & Resorts

Trisara opens on Phuket's north-west coast — South East Asia's first all-pool-villa resort, thirty-nine villas and thirty sold privately

SALA opens its first Thai house SALA Hospitality Group

Anthony Lark opens Trisara on Phuket, nine kilometres from Amanpuri

Kamalaya opens on Koh Samui around a monk's cave, and codifies its programme Kamalaya programme

John and Karina Stewart open Kamalaya on Koh Samui around a monk's cave Kamalaya

The Oriental is renamed Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

Six Senses Residences launch Six Senses Residences

Anthony Lark founds the Phuket Hotels Association; it later bans single-use plastics across its members

Six Senses is acquired by IHG for $300m Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas

Minor gathers its most distinctive houses into the Reserve Collection Minor Reserve Collection

Dusit launches Devarana as its retreat line Devarana — Dusit Retreats

Capella opens on the Chao Phraya at Bangkok

Centara launches Centara Reserve at Samui Centara Reserve