Marasca Khao Yai

Approach

How do you build a resort in a UNESCO forest without the forest ever noticing?

Set on the edge of Thailand's UNESCO-recognized Dong Phayayen–Khao Yai Forest Complex, Marasca Khao Yai is a quiet countryside retreat where nature and hospitality stay in harmony. Inspired by Khao Yai's terrain, the design embraces simplicity, warmth and ease — villas and glamping experiences shaped around existing mature trees rather than clearing them, so architecture becomes a gentle extension of the setting. At its heart, Tree Top — tea house and farmer's café — is conceived as a treehouse: a curving timber walkway on slender stilts threads through the canopy, screened in fine battens that filter sunlight into shifting shadow. Downstairs, a bright farm-to-table café pairs white brick, terrazzo and pale oak; upstairs, a lounge opens under a dramatic A-frame of glass framing the mountains and starlit sky. As the debut property of the Marasca brand — named after the marasca cherry, and built on the idea of "cherry-on-top" moments — the design reaches down to the smallest touchpoints. ASC carried the brand DNA into bespoke pieces like the roaming cherry cart, the converted VW Glamper Van and the in-room mini-bar trunk, turning the promise of a little something extra into objects guests can see, open and remember. Recognition: AHEAD Asia 2024 shortlist; International Hotel & Property Awards 2023 shortlist (Hotel Design – Asia Pacific); Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) member. Press: Profiled by design et al / The International Hotel & Property Awards as ASC's first turnkey hotel project; widely featured by Thai travel and lifestyle media.