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INNSiDE by Meliá chef Laia Ferrer has moved to Bangkok to become the Spanish Chef de Cuisine at the upcoming new hotel – the brand’s first in the Thai capital.

The Barcelona-born chef boasts 10 years of hospitality experience in Spain, India, France, and the Maldives at some of the globe’s leading restaurants and hotels, now joining Innside by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit, set to open July this year in Bangkok’s On Nut neighbourhood.

This follows a stint working at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives leading the hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant Beach Shack for chef Laia. Before that, she was chef de partie at two Michelin-starred restaurant El Portal in Spain, after undertaking an internship at three Michelin-starred restaurant Mirazur in France, ranked number one in ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019’. She has also worked as the manager of Little World y Mandala Café in India, and as chef de partie at three Michelin-starred restaurants Dani Garcia CocinaConTradicion and Chef Carme Ruscalleda’s Saut Pau in Spain.

In her new role, she has taken charge of Innside by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s signature Luz Bangkok Tapas Bar, on the hotel’s two uppermost floors, level 33 and 34, where every seat is an opportunity for a culinary pilgrimage across Spain.

“Laia is a visionary chef with the ability to think outside the box, particularly when it comes to creating an authentic, one-of-a-kind menu,” said the new hotel’s GM Aarron Nelson. “Given Thai people and Spaniards share a love for food and a need to celebrate important occasions around food, Laia is bringing her Barcelona roots to Bangkok, mixing the complexity of the local ingredients with Spanish flavors.”

“Luz is a little piece of me and my culture amid one of the most stunning rooftop venues in Bangkok,” she added. “We are cooking for our guests to connect with them. I can’t wait to introduce Spain’s gastronomy to our diners, to guide them through our menu, to see their faces as they try a dish for the first time, and to let them explore my country; as they soak up Bangkok’s mesmerizing skyline.”

In addition to Luz Bangkok Tapas Bar, the hotel’s dining landscape features all-day Thai dining restaurant The Kites Eatery, café and lobby bar The Open Living Lounge that’s integrated into the hotel’s 32nd floor co-working space, and The Giant Swing Pool Bar on the 34th floor. The new Meliá property joins a collection of unique urban and beach hotels in 14 different countries designed for those with curious minds who cultivate a fluid lifestyle when it comes to work and leisure.