P7 / 27
Volume 4
Issue 03
16-28 february 2015
GM Outlook Amari Pattaya has been evolving since the 1970s and we are determined to maintain our lead position in the new Pattaya.
He has worked in the past with Hilton in China for eight years and most recently held the position of director of Operations at Hilton Wuhan Optics Valley located in the hi-tech development zone southeast of the city of Wuhan. He was appointed to Amari Pattaya in November 2014. His new post as resident manager involves deputizing for the general manager in his absence but concentrates on operational details to ensure the smooth running of
the enterprise on a daily basis. The success of Richard and his colleagues is best indicated by the rave reviews on the social media, especially TripAdvisor, with Amari Garden currently figuring in the best five hotels in the region. As regards dining, one of the secrets of the success of Amari is that two of its finest and popular outlets are widely seen as city restaurants rather than places where guests go to eat. The Tavern by the Sea is a lively, fun sports bar, perfect for enjoying football and relaxing near Pattaya’s colorful shoreline. There’s a first-class selection of beers and other drinks in addition to a fine assortment of international pub food including American and Tex-Mex favorites. And then there is the worldfamous Mantra located at the front of the hotel complex. Chic, stylish and unlike any other Pattaya restaurant, Mantra blends a range of global cuisine with an open-kitchen style of dining.
It consistently ranks among the best places to eat in the city with a comprehensive menu including Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Italian pizza oven and seafood specialties. Each cuisine has its own specialized staff and dedicated cooking island to ensure authenticity and freshness. Pattaya, as is well known, is a rapidly changing city which is increasingly similar to Bangkok in terms of its high-class facilities. “We have a truly international clientele,” says Richard, “but each year brings some differences. At the moment we are seeing a decline in the Russian market but an increase in the number of Chinese and ASEAN visitors.” He adds that the Thai domestic market is particularly strong in 2015 with government statistics showing that 41 percent of all visitors to Pattaya are Thai nationals. Another noticeable trend is the development of the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) segment in which the hotel is playing a leading role. “We are seeing an increasing number of corporate
Amari Ocean Pattaya
Richard Gamlin
Resident Manager Amari Pattaya
events as well as social celebrations such as weddings and family reunions,” says Richard. Amari Pattaya is also a member of the North Pattaya Alliance, a federation of seven hotels in the area, which is campaigning to market the unique attractions of North Pattaya compared with other areas of the city – for example ease of access to Suvarnabhumi airport and a much quieter and lush environment than the downtown districts. Amari Pattaya has been serving the city’s tourism industry since the 1970s. Indeed, there are apparently a small number of staff members
today who were employed in the same hotel all those years ago. Not only has the hotel adapted to all the changes since then – in terms of catchment and customer expectation – but is now tackling the “new” Pattaya with its family and business orientation. This is a much more upmarket version of the “old” Pattaya which was dominated by the sole attraction of nightlife. City Hall has indicated that Pattaya’s destiny is to become the French Riviera of Thailand within the next 10 years. Amari Pattaya is playing its part to help bring about that transformation.