by Dr. Iain
Corness
One
of the executive assistant managers (EAMs) at the Amari Orchid Resort is a
tall young German, Michael Goetz. He has been in Pattaya for two and a
half years and appears to enjoy his life here, in fact he admits that he
could not imagine going back to live in Germany! Thailand has that sort of
effect on many people. He is also something of the quiet philosopher.
Michael was born in Stuttgart and his mother and father
were both in the business world. In fact nobody in his family had ever
contemplated working in the hospitality industry. What he did have, in his
family, were very mobile parents.
By the time he was eight years old, the family had
moved to Hanover. Then it was back to Stuttgart and then to Paris, where
the family was stationed for three years. It was during this time in Paris
(ages 13-16) that Michael found he had a liking for “food, drinks,
restaurants and all the finer things in life.” He even went so far as to
describe it as a “passion”, so much so that it overtook any interest
he might have had in his standard school curriculum. This resulted in his
just scraping through his examinations each year, “But I always got
there in the end,” he smiled.
The next home base for the mobile Goetz family was
Brussels, for another two and a half year stint. Young Michael, getting
towards the end of his secondary schooling, had to start thinking about
his future career. “I was not sure of the future (direction) but I began
to understand I would have to change my attitude to school.” He changed
his attitude well enough to finish with his high school diploma and marks
good enough to allow him to advance to tertiary education.
“Eighty percent of my friends were either going to
law or business schools, but I wanted something to do with people, eating,
drinking and cooking. I was even thinking about being a chef or becoming a
hotel manager.” His problem lay in the fact that he did not know what
the industry was like, and whether it really was for him. The answer was
to join and do some work in that industry.
The easiest way in was as a waiter. “I took a job as
a waiter in Geneva, and I found I enjoyed it. I met many people, I learned
about food and wine and after 13 years at school, at long last I was doing
something practical.” While Michael was happy in his new job, his
parents were less than thrilled about it all, but after one year on the
bottom rung of the ladder, Michael was sure he was in the right industry.
He began to ask career hoteliers about hospitality as a
career, and was given the advice that unless he went back to school, his
career options were very limited. It was an agonizing time for the young
man. He had been so happy to throw off the shackles of school, and the
advice he was getting involved another four years of it! However, by now
he was sure that this was the career he wanted, so he took the advice and
entered the Lausanne Hotel School. This would culminate in a bachelor’s
degree in International Hotel Management.
The four year course also included two six month
internships. The first was in the kitchens of a Michelin star restaurant
in a five star hotel in Geneva, whilst the second was as a management
trainee at the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore! This was a real coup for
Michael. Whilst his family had traveled around in Europe, they had not
gone to Asia. He also found that he enjoyed the Asian experience very
much, and just wanted to finish his bachelor’s degree and return to
Asia.
In his final semester he began looking for a job, and
particularly something in Singapore. He was contemplating a couple of
offers when a friend brought to his notice the fact that a hotel group in
Thailand was looking for bright young enthusiastic professionals. He sent
off his CV to Bangkok and three weeks later had his first interview with
Kurt Rufli, the managing director of the Amari Group, which was held in
Zurich. Two weeks later he was signing his contract to become the EAM at
one of the Amari Hotels in Thailand. “I assumed that Thailand would be
the same as Singapore - which was not the case, but I like it!” said
Michael.
And so the young man arrived in Pattaya to take up his
posting at the Amari Orchid Resort. He settled in quickly. In fact he
settled in so well that he met a young Thai lady and they were married.
The settling process continued and now he has a daughter (Jenny aged eight
months).
It is one of my customary questions to enquire about
hobbies. “Hobbies?” said Michael. “You will see me in the office at
7.30 in the morning and I do not leave until 9.30 to 10 in the evening.
The hotel business takes 100 percent commitment. I was selling the
world’s longest brownie (a dessert) till 11 p.m. last night!” However,
he does enjoy time with his wife and baby and likes to get away for a
couple of days, every few weeks, and explore some of the tourist regions
of Thailand.
He is an ambitious young man, and has his sights firmly
fixed on being “number one, sometime in the future.” He also wants to
be a good husband and father, and give his daughter the same type of
loving family environment as he enjoyed as a child.
Thailand has taught him to enjoy the moment. “I am much less serious
than before. It is in our (German) nature, so Thailand has been a good
place to learn to look at the positive fun things in life. You only have
one life - so live it!”
