The Imperial Narathiwat — The City Tower Where the Whole Province Throws Its Events
Anyone who has been to Narathiwat knows the tallest building in town: The Imperial Narathiwat Hotel — a white-and-salmon tower you can spot from across the city, a fixture for decades. It's the first place locals think of for a wedding, a conference, or a major government event, because it holds the largest banquet hall in the province. What guests mention again and again is the halal kitchen and a location that puts the Clock Tower and the Bang Nara River within a few minutes' walk — genuinely convenient whether you're here for business or to explore the town.
The Imperial Narathiwat is one of the town's long-standing hotels, its tower visible from almost every corner of the city. The 117 rooms spread across several floors, and most are Deluxe rooms that run noticeably larger than the typical city hotel here. Higher floors look out over the town and a long stretch of skyline, and a few rooms catch a sliver of the Bang Nara River in the distance. The furniture is older wood in style — many guests note the rooms show their age — but they are spacious and clean, and that combination is the single point reviewers raise most often.
Food is a genuine strength here in the context of the region. The hotel kitchen is halal, which matters a great deal in a province where most residents are Muslim. The main restaurant, Bangnara Restaurant, serves international dishes and a breakfast buffet, with a coffee shop for coffee and snacks and a poolside bar for the evening. Guests staying for work consistently say the breakfast spread is varied and filling enough that they never need to head out for food in the morning.
One guest summed it up directly: "the room is a little dated but very spacious and clean, the staff are lovely, and the halal breakfast covers everything — hard to find that combination in town. We stayed two nights with a group of five for a government work trip and had no real complaints worth dwelling on. We chose The Imperial because it was the closest decent hotel to where our meetings were held and because it had a backup conference room if we needed it. That turned out to be useful on the second day when we needed a quiet space between sessions. Check-in was smooth — the front desk staff handled the group paperwork quickly without making us queue or wait around. A good start when you arrive tired after a long drive. The Deluxe King room on the seventh floor was larger than we expected based on the price. There was a proper work desk with enough space to spread out a laptop and a stack of documents, which you genuinely do not always get at a city hotel at this price point. The bed was comfortable, the pillows not too firm. The air conditioning worked well and was quiet enough to sleep through. The bathroom is old — older tiles, older-style taps — but the hot water ran steadily throughout both stays and everything was clean, no musty smell. Cleanliness was the thing we were most uncertain about before arriving, given some older reviews, and it turned out to be fine. No issues there. Breakfast at Bangnara Restaurant was the one thing every single person in the group mentioned without being asked. The buffet had a solid spread: Thai dishes, southern regional food, fresh roti, eggs made to order, fruit, and coffee, all fully halal. When most of your travelling group are Muslim, not having to think twice about the food and just being able to eat freely in the morning makes a real practical difference. The spread was varied enough that nobody was bored on the second morning. It fills up fast, so arriving before 7:30 is worth doing. The pool behind the building is modest but usable — one of us went for a swim on the first evening and said the water was fine and the area was quiet. On the second evening after meetings finished, we walked from the hotel to the Clock Tower, which really does take about three minutes. The area around it had food stalls and local restaurants with southern Thai food and snacks. No need to call a car or plan an outing. For the price and for what it is — a working trip to Narathiwat that needed a central, halal-friendly base — this hotel delivered exactly what was needed. The location alone saves time every day, and the free parking was a genuine convenience since we had driven ourselves from out of province. We would stay again on the next trip to Narathiwat without any hesitation and would recommend it to colleagues making the same kind of working visit."
What sets The Imperial apart from other places in town is its large banquet and conference space. The event areas total more than 420 square metres and host weddings, seminars, and official functions for hundreds of people. On weekends with a wedding on, the lobby gets lively. If you're staying then and want quiet, it's worth requesting a higher-floor room away from the function areas when you book.
The pool is an outdoor one on the deck behind the tower, with greenery and loungers around it, open through the day until early evening (roughly 6:30 am to 6:30 pm). It isn't a resort-style pool, but for a city hotel in Narathiwat, having a pool at all is rare. The water isn't deep, so children can use it, and the early morning before the sun is strong and the late afternoon are the popular windows.
Location is the clear advantage. The hotel sits on Phichit Bamrung Road, about a 3-minute walk to the Clock Tower at the centre of town, with the Bang Nara River and the market a little further on. Narathat Beach and the river mouth where the annual kolae boat races are held are a few kilometres away, a short drive. Narathiwat Airport is about 14 kilometres out, roughly 20–25 minutes by car. The hotel has free private parking, which is handy if you've driven yourself.
The Trip.com score sits at 8.5/10 from 278 reviews. Guests agree on the location, the room size, the value, and the friendly staff. The honest complaints centre on the aging building and bathrooms — some rooms have older furniture or signs of wear, and a minority of reviews report issues with the bathroom water or cleanliness in spots. Worth flagging plainly so you can decide: if you get a room that isn't right, tell reception and ask to switch — past guests say the hotel sorts it out.
The bottom line: The Imperial Narathiwat works best for anyone here for government business, work, or to explore the town who wants a central base with a halal kitchen and a pool, from around ฿750 a night. Don't expect new or contemporary design, but on location, room size, and convenience it remains the town's default choice. If you want the most space, the Imperial Suite is larger and quieter than the standard rooms.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Central location — walk to the Clock Tower and market
- ✓ Rooms larger than the typical city hotel here
- ✓ Varied, filling halal breakfast
- ✓ Friendly, helpful staff
- ! Building and bathrooms show their age
- ! Furniture in some rooms is dated
- ! Lobby gets busy when a wedding is on
- ✓ Strong value for the room size
- ✓ Outdoor pool — rare in central Narathiwat
- ✓ Free private parking for self-drivers
- ✓ Halal kitchen suits Muslim travellers
- ! Some rooms show wear or damp
- ! Older design, not contemporary
- ! Wi-Fi weak in spots
- 💡If you expect a new, contemporary hotel — this is an older city tower with dated furniture and bathrooms → it's about location and room size; if you need new, this may not be it
- 💡If you come on a weekend — with a wedding or banquet on, the lobby and event areas get lively → request a higher-floor room away from the banquet hall for more quiet
- 💡If you get a room in poor condition — a minority of reviews report worn furniture or bathroom water issues → tell reception and ask to switch rooms; past guests say the hotel handles it