Total System Freedom

Total System Freedom

International Lifestyle Newsletters

The Salil Hotel Riverside, Bangkok

A rewarding resort style escape for the discerning international man

Shernon Hague's avatar
Shernon Hague
Aug 21, 2026
∙ Paid

Living an international lifestyle means that you will likely stay in hotels often. When you discover a great hotel the immersion in a new environment can be exciting and invigorating. It can open your mind to new possibilities and it frames the experience you have in your travel destination of choice.

Choosing the right hotel is important. If you are like me it can take hours to decide which hotel to book. Scrolling through endless reviews and websites is laborious and can spike your cortisol to no end.

Visiting a new destination will always require testing new hotels. This is unavoidable. Once you have collected some reliable favourites, it makes the return trip much more frictionless.

Total System Freedom will be introducing hotel recommendations for the modern day international man.

The curated choices will focus on value for money and a boutique experience rather than the traditional sanitised ‘comfort’ of legacy hotel chains.

A ‘boutique’ experience in our vision is a hotel which prioritises uniqueness, design, small-scale operations and a more intimate customer service experience.

There will be key features that we will attempt to seek as requirements in our recommendations. They are:

  • A workspace that includes a quality desk, chair, lighting, decent surface area and a view outside.

  • Reliable internet.

  • A clean, elegant, comfortable and convenient boutique experience.

  • Good location - Close to entertainment and restaurants.

  • Cigar friendly - A dedicated indoor, temperature controlled cigar lounge or comfortable outdoor smoking areas. Such as rooms with balconies or decks or areas attached to on-site restaurants, bars and cafes. This is relevant only to a niche group of people but is very important to those to whom enjoying a cigar is part of their daily routine.

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