by Dr. Iain
Corness
The new resident manager at the Pattaya Marriott Resort
and Spa is Thomas Christiansen, an enthusiastic young Dane who remarked at
the beginning of the interview that that his birthplace was probably the
only country he had not worked in. He is also a young man who is up-beat
about every country he has experienced - even Russia!
Thomas (not ‘Tom’) was born in Denmark, the 5th
child in a family of 8. His father was in the hospitality business, being
involved with restaurants, jazz clubs and a small hotel.
When he was 12 years old, his international life began,
being shipped off to Majorca to an English school there. “On my first
day in school, I didn’t understand one thing,” he said. This was
because Thomas couldn’t speak English, but he soon mastered the lingua
franca of the world these days.
He did finish his schooling in Denmark and within one
day after graduation had a job in the travel industry, working as a travel
agent in Spain, Greece and Africa, spending 6 months rotation in each
location.
He enjoyed the experience, “I was the youngest
manager in the country. It was fun and exciting and it didn’t feel like
work.” In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he stayed roaming with the
travel agency for 5 years in a job that was initially supposed to be a one
year contract.
The next stepping stone came via a telephone call from
one of his brothers to tell him that Disneyland Paris was looking for
staff. “I had always wanted to go into the hospitality industry. My
father was supportive, he knew the industry and the hours and did advise
me.”
He scored a position as a receptionist on the front
desk and he knew that this was for him, despite the lowly position. “I
loved it from day 1. It was my introduction to the hospitality world.”
He was with them for two years, going from the pre-opening team through
the opening itself, still enjoying every minute. So much so that he pushed
to get into Disney World in Florida where a Disney Leadership Development
Program was being run. This was not an easy call, and he was the only
non-US citizen accepted and had to endure many hassles with work permits
and visas. Thailand is not the only country to have red tape regulations!
There he stayed for 2 years and enrolled in the Disney
University (DU), a dedicated hospitality teaching establishment, not a
place to watch Mickey Mouse re-runs! Thomas freely gives tribute to this
alma mater, “I learned my base from DU.”
As he was finishing at Disney World, he met one of the
guests who was opening a resort and golf course in Portland Maine. He
accepted a post there and stayed for 6 months, before being head-hunted
for another new experience - Beijing.
This was Thomas’ first time in Asia. “It was a
fascinating city - it was still China then (1997), and I had a great GM
and the greatest boss.” He was the guest services manager and stayed
there for three years until he was offered a promotion within the group to
go to Hong Kong as the assistant front office manager at the hotel in
Kowloon.
Hong Kong was something new again. “Hong Kong was
very busy and I was there for the millennium.” During this time he was
also making trips to Thailand, spending his free time in Bangkok, at the
group’s Thailand property, so it was not unexpected that his next move
was to the kingdom. “I wanted resort experience, and the Banyan Tree in
Phuket was offering me that. Resorts are different from hotels where the
emphasis is on checking in and checking out. With resorts you can focus on
the individual guests.”
Thailand was to his liking. “I had been many times. I
loved the food, the climate, the architecture and culture. I found
Thailand fascinating.” He also enjoyed working in the resort, so the
next move was very surprising - Moscow!
This was one of those snap decisions that young men can
make. “I was chatting with the Food and Beverage manager and he asked
where I would like to go next. For no real reason I said Moscow and he
produced the business card of a GM of a property in Moscow. I emailed him
and I was on a plane for the interview.”
Moscow was very different. “It is a city of huge
buildings. I liked the museums, architecture and its culture.” Unlike so
many hospitality workers who have no experience of life outside the hotel,
Thomas made the most of his stay. “Part of the joy of moving around is
to experience the local culture.” As part of that he would go to the
ballet or an opera every month; with the Bolshoi Ballet round the corner,
why not?
However, while in Moscow, he had another serendipitous
meeting - this time with the group GM of the Pattaya Marriott Resort and
Spa, Somsak Tanruengsri, who was at a trade show in the Russian capital.
The end result was his returning to Thailand, “And I love it!” he said
enthusiastically.
In fact, he enjoys Thailand so much that he wishes to
stay and grow in this part of the world. He is engaged to be married to a
Thai woman and sees his future in Asia, with his ultimate aim being that
of being a GM himself.
His hobbies include cigars and food (the dining
experience) and he professes to love sports, but does not have the time to
be a competitor.
I asked Thomas just what it was that made the
hospitality industry so exciting from his point of view. “You are part
of the visitors experience of a foreign country and in a hotel there is
always something you can do, something you can improve. That’s the
excitement.”
Welcome to Pattaya, Thomas. I hope we can continue to add excitement to
your life.
