Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid — A Glass Tower Downtown With Its Own Brewery
Drive through central Khon Kaen and you'll spot it — a tall green-glass tower with Thai-tiled pavilion roofs at its base. That's Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid, one of the 5-star hotels that has anchored this city for years. Guests come back to two things in particular: rooms that are larger than the local norm (every room starts at 43 sqm) and Kronen Brauhaus, the first in-hotel brewery in Thailand, which brews its own beer on-site with live music most nights. The building is genuinely old now, but a 5-minute walk to Central Plaza and the price are why people still book it again.
Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid is a city tower with a red-tiled Thai pavilion at its base and a green-glass facade you can see from across town — a long-standing landmark in Khon Kaen. It holds 293 rooms and suites, and the thing that sets it apart from other hotels in the city is room size: every room starts at 43 sqm — noticeably larger than the 28–32 sqm standard rooms you find at several comparable properties here. Deluxe rooms run to 46 sqm and the Executive Suite stretches to 84 sqm. Every room has a separate tub and shower, free tea and coffee, and a city or pool view. Plenty of guests say the rooms are bigger than they expected.
The thing you won't find elsewhere is Kronen Brauhaus, a German-style brewery on the lower ground floor — the first hotel in Thailand to brew its own beer on-site, with a German brewmaster running the recipes. There's Dunkel, lager, German food and bar snacks, and what locals turn up for most: a live band that plays Monday through Saturday. Plenty of reviews say it's a must-stop when you're in Khon Kaen — you can walk in for the music and a beer even if you aren't staying.
On dining, Loong Yuen is a Cantonese restaurant known for its dim sum, and Khon Kaen residents come for it as families — not just hotel guests. Pavilion Café handles all-day dining under a curved glass roof looking onto a garden, with the breakfast buffet and international à la carte. In the middle of the lobby, the Orchid Lounge sits beneath a golden orchid sculpture that nods to the Raja Orchid name — a corner guests tend to photograph.
"The room was surprisingly huge and the bed soft, and sitting at Kronen with the live band and a cold beer — you won't find this for the price anywhere else in town. It's just that the building is a bit old."
The shared facilities cover what you'd expect from a 5-star. The outdoor pool carries an orchid-flower mosaic on its floor, ringed by palms and loungers, open 07:00–20:00 with especially good light in the late afternoon. LeSpa runs 11 private treatment rooms focused on traditional Thai massage and beauty treatments, warm-wood and calm. The fitness centre is open 06:00–22:00. For the conference crowd there's the 1,400 sqm Grand Orchid Ballroom plus 14 meeting rooms — the largest convention space in the province, which is why the hotel buzzes whenever Khon Kaen hosts an event.
Location is the real strength. The hotel sits on Prachasumran Road in central Khon Kaen, a 5-minute walk from Central Plaza Khon Kaen, the city's largest mall, with restaurants, a cinema and a supermarket. Khon Kaen train station is about 750 metres away — an easy walk, handy if you arrive by rail. Bueng Kaen Nakhon, the lake where locals jog at dusk, is about 20 minutes on foot. Wat Nong Wang, with its nine-tier Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon pagoda, is a 25-minute walk or a short Grab. Khon Kaen Airport is roughly 8 km out, a 10–15 minute drive.
The Trip.com score sits at 9.0/10 from 335 reviews, scoring highest on location (9.3) and service (9.1), with staff regularly praised for being friendly. The honest caveat is that some furnishings are dated for the age of the building and food quality can be inconsistent. Worth flagging: the property rebranded as The Heritage Grand Khon Kaen Hotel & Convention in March 2026, alongside a major renovation — double-check the name when you book so nothing throws you off.
The bottom line: Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid works best for travellers who want a large room downtown within walking distance of the malls and train station, at an accessible price. You get a big room, a pool and spa, and a brewery with live music that nothing else in town can match. From around ฿1,900/night, it's strong value for a 5-star this central. If you're after a sleek, just-opened design hotel this isn't it — but for space and location, it's the property locals in Khon Kaen recommend most often.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Rooms very spacious — from 43 sqm, strong value
- ✓ Central location, 5-min walk to Central Plaza
- ✓ Kronen Brauhaus house beer and live music are great fun
- ✓ Staff friendly and helpful
- ! Some furnishings feel dated for the building's age
- ! Food quality inconsistent at some meals
- ! Wi-Fi slower than expected in some rooms
- ✓ Loong Yuen dim sum is good — locals eat there
- ✓ Kronen Brauhaus house-brewed beer is unique in town
- ✓ Large outdoor pool, lovely atmosphere in the evening
- ✓ Easy walk to the train station and malls
- ! Some floors not yet renovated, room condition varies
- ! Breakfast has fewer options than some big chains
- ! Parking fills up fast during large conferences
- 💡If a brand-new room matters to you — the building is old and some furnishings are dated → for the best condition, ask which floors have been renovated when booking and request a high floor on the pool side
- 💡If you like live music — Kronen Brauhaus has a band Monday to Saturday, and rooms near the lobby can hear it until around 11pm → if you want quiet, request a high floor away from the lobby
- 💡The hotel has already rebranded — as of March 2026 it operates as The Heritage Grand Khon Kaen Hotel & Convention → the name may differ across platforms, so match the address 9/9 Prachasumran Road before you commit