NomineeS Thailand International Business Awards
2016
From junior hotelier to major international hotel operator
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N just eight years, Jonathan Wigley has become a major player in the highly competitive international hotel industry. Absolute Hotel Services Group (AHS), the company he founded in 2008, is already one of the fastest growing hospitality management/ branding companies in Asia. Through its brands, which include U Hotels & Resorts, Eastin Grand Hotels, Eastin Hotels & Residences, and Eastin Easy, AHS controls more than 7,500 ‘keys’ in almost 70 hotels worldwide. Headquartered in Bangkok, with regional offices in Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India and Europe with more expansions planned, AHS covers the luxury to economy segments of the hotel industry. Jonathan, a UK-born graduate of Ecole Les Roches,
Switzerland in 1989, has spent all his working life in Asia, starting with junior positions with Omni Hotels, Hong Kong, 1990-1993. He then joined Omni Saigon Hotel from 1993-1996, before relocating to Bangkok as resident manager of the Delta Grand Pacific. For the next five years, he held senior positions at The Landmark Bangkok and then joined Minor International in charge of operations and sales from 2003-2007. After a one-year stint as managing director of Invision Hospitality, he set up AHS, an affiliate company of BTS Group Holding Public, one of Thailand’s largest public listed companies with a diverse portfolio covering mass transit, property development, construction management, media, food & beverage and services. Still in his 40s, Jonathon remains bullish about his company’s future, which will include the addition of several major European hotels to AHS’s portfolio.
Former hotel chef who launched his own gourmet meals
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FTER 20 years of running the kitchens of top hotels in Bangkok and around the world, Austrian-born Erwin Eberharter decided two years ago to go it alone and launch Thailand’s first ready-to-eat fine dining meal range under his own brand ‘Chef Erwin. Fresh and Delicious.’ The former corporate executive chef of Dusit International and executive chef of the Dusit Thani, operates his own kitchens in Bangkok which initially produced a range of eight non-frozen but chilled dishes (four main and four pasta), including Prime 14
TheBigChilli
Salmon Mediterrane, Lamb Stew a La Navarin, Chicken Coq au Vin, Truffle Linguini Venetia, and Penne Regate Roma. Erwin recently expanded his product range with the addition of four soups (three vegetarian and one beef) and five new items, including Roasted Pork Steak, Beef Cheeks and Roasted Pork Fillet. Drawing on his experience in major hotels, Erwin imports key ingredients from overseas via leading food suppliers such as lamb from Australia, chilled salmon from Norway, real saffron and virgin oil from Spain, tomatoes, Parmigiano cheese and truffle paste from Italy, potatoes from Europe, pumpkin seed oil from Austria, dried porchini mushrooms from France, cooking cream from Ireland, and artisan semolina from Italy. “Excellent raw products are the key to our healthy and tasty chilled gourmet meals. Combined with our refined cooking process and creativity, we can produce fine dining restaurant meals that are available chilled to take home, rather than frozen, and therefore superior in nutrition.” Chef Erwin’s meals are ready for consumption in just four minutes from a microwave oven. The brand is operated by Fine Food & Two Chefs, a company Erwin founded in 2014. finefood-twochefs.com