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Volume 3
Issue 23
16-31 December 2014
GM Outlook empowered women The French Riviera in Pattaya After the Seven Seas Condo and Savanna Sands, developer Universal Group has now announced Seven Seas Cote d’Azur. The term Cote d’Azur was coined in 1887 for the beautifully-blue Mediterranean coastline of southeast France, including the sovereign state of Monaco. Sonia Punjabi, Universal chief executive officer, says, “We feel we are breaking new ground with this project which owes its entire ethos and appearance to the actual Cote d’Azur. French style architecture permeates the buildings, the alleys, the promenades and even the street lighting.” The many family-orientated attractions include the unique St Tropez clubhouse covering 2,000-square meters--the biggest facility of its kind in Chonburi province. Dental Smile is smiling at you One of the bestknown sites on Pattaya Third Road is the welcoming billboard promoting Dental Smile, one of the leading dental practices in a city which is not short of dentists. Dental Smile, however, is best described as a dental hospital rather than a clinic. Inside the spacious Natchawakorn Khantawat accommodation there’s a comfortable waiting area, a range of the latest technology including x-ray and top expertise in all areas of dentistry. Dental Smile offers durability and beauty and is famous for its “smile” transformations, bringing the same skill to simple fillings or cleaning and polishing or to the more complex tasks including the “all-in-4” technique, a revolutionary technology which gives a complete set of nonremovable replacement teeth in less than two weeks.
Sukanyapach Homchuen Sonia Punjabi
Kate Gerits and Holiday Inn’s future Appointed earlier this year, Australian business executive Kate Gerits is the general manager of the Holiday Inn Pattaya. The family-friendly hotel on North Pattaya Beach Road now has the 367-room Kate Gerits Bay Tower complemented by the 200-room Executive Tower which will concentrate on the corporate business segment which is a rapidly expanding part of the local hotel industry. Kate, one of the few female general managers in the Chonburi area, predicts that she will be joined by many more female colleagues in the years to come.
hospitality management Matthew Fryar and “Wow” Occupying eight acres of tropical gardens, the 298-room Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa has been a flagship for quality hospitality since 1978. Director of Operations Matthew Fryar, an extrovert Australian with 20 years experience in the hospitality industry, points out that the “Wow” factor is vital in today’s competitive world. Whether it is the attraction of the breezy lobby of traditional wood, the oasis of lush gardens or the exceptional Thai cuisine, guests can enjoy the best of both worlds at Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa: an attractive hideaway and relaxing beach scene coupled with easy access to the vibrant Pattaya attractions a short distance away.
Business success with Allan Ottesen Allan’s father and stepmother were early pioneers of low-rise condominium projects and serviced apartments in Pattaya. Now largely retired, they have passed the overall responsibility to Allan who is head of the portfolio of business interests which include Jomtien Boathouse, The Residence Garden, Captain’s Corner Steakhouse and Jomtien Beach Residence. The family businesses are still based in the Jomtien area which clearly has the strongest growth prospects in the entire city. Multilingual Allen puts down his personal business success to the training given to him by his father and the fact of his Thai nationality which enables him to communicate effectively with both customers and networks.
Andre Brulhart
Matthew Fryar
Allan Ottesen
Rudolf Troestler Rudolf Troestler takes the helm The new general manager at the 302room five-star Hilton Pattaya, Austrian national Rudolf Troestler, supervises a unique hotel rising 34 storeys above Central Festival Pattaya Beach which is the largest beachfront shopping complex in Southeast Asia. As Pattaya already equals Bangkok when it comes to attractions and facilities, Rudolf stresses that customer expectations in the hospitality business must always be exceeded. His business philosophy is summed up by the phrase, “Happy Team Happy Guests”. A strong trend now is the rise of the corporate market, and the hotel benefits from two floors of facilities including a lavish business center and state-of-the-art technology. Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya With 555 luxurious and spacious rooms and suites all facing the ocean, Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort in Wong Amat is Asia’s only themed hotel on its own beachfront. Swiss-born Andre Brulhart, general manager, emphasizes the importance of the Lost World theme–owing much to Jules Verne and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle--in the success of the resort and its particular resonance with children. Brulhart says the secrets of success in hospitality are geographical location, high service standards, excellent food, luxurious surroundings, leadership skills and managing to predict the future. That’s where Andre scores the extra points.
Marketing the Amari Pattaya Amari Pattaya is part of the Onyx Hospitality Group which is owned by the family behind the Italian-Thai Development Public Company. Executive assistant manager Sukanyapach Homchuen believes that when you market a first-class hotel, you also help to promote the city. She stresses that Pattaya is no longer a predominantly nightlife destination and that the choice of hotels, malls, restaurants and recreation facilities is as good as those offered in Bangkok. A major element in the Amari success story is that it has catered over the years for very different catchments including the foreign holidaymaker, the Thai domestic market, the corporate traveler, families, conventions and niche markets such as Indian weddings. “When most of your guests have been here before,” Sukanyapach says, “then you know you are on the right lines.”
Maria Gequillana Updating the legendary Royal Cliff The PR and marketing communications manager of the Royal Cliff, which occupies 64 acres of parkland, is Maria Gequillana, a welltravelled and multilingual marketing and psychology graduate with a passion for the hospitality industry. “Marketing these days,” she says, “is not just a strategy but rather a principal framework for management as a whole.” Her diverse role includes worldwide promotion of the facilities of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group and PEACH, also covering partnerships, special events, community relations and media liaison. Asked what is the secret of the Royal Cliff’s success over many years, she says “It has maintained the true hospitality and service values of the 1970s while always planning for the future.”
Steering the course at Cape Dara The majestic tower raises a full 26 storeys, a reminder that ‘dara’ in Thai means ‘stars’. Tanin Suphavittayakorn was appointed as executive assistant manager at Cape Dara Resort a year ago. “My key role,” he says, “is to keep happy the staff, the management, the owner and, above all, the guests.” He’s an enthusiastic supporter of the North Pattaya Alliance, a grouping of neighborhood hotels which are promoting the area as a destination in its own right under the caption “North Pattaya – More Than You Think.” A graduate of Rangsit University, Tanin always wanted to be a chef even as a young boy. He still maintains that interest even though his responsibilities are very much broader.
Tanin Suphavittayakorn
Style at Centara Grand Phratumnak Carl Duggan, a British veteran of the international hospitality industry, was appointed acting general manager of the Tulip Group’s Centara Grand Phratumnak. A fluent Cantonese and Mandarin speaker, he first came to Thailand in 2002 and instantly fell in love with the place. He sees the opportunity to work in Pattaya as a dream come true and sees his role as providing authentic hospitality and exceptional customer care, while helping to develop Pattaya as a high-end resort for both Thai nationals and the discerning international traveler. A star attraction of the hotel is the Ruffino Restaurant and Lounge which is a haven for Italian-inspired cuisine and comfort food.
Carl Duggan
The uniqueness of Siam@Siam There are many reasons why Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya, one of the largest and best-known landmarks on Second Road, is so very different. It has the highest swimming pool in the city linked in turn to the latest hi-tech fitness center and a grandiose meetings-and-exhibitions facility. The new general manager is Azerbaijanborn Dmitry Chernyshev who has travelled the world building up an impressive CV. He’s proud of the hotel with its bold colors everywhere you look, industrial themes, vivid underwater scenes – all creating a unique mix which is the amazing signature style of Siam@Siam. Dmitry sums it up as “charismatic service blended with surprising artistry.”
Dmitry Chernyshev