by Dr. Iain Corness
Five
years ago I interviewed Andrew Wood, when he first came to Pattaya. I
described him then as “a determined career hotelier.” The description
went further, “His piercing blue eyes never miss small details, even
noting some small areas of concrete cracking in the car park as we walked
across it. He strides instead of strolls and talks quickly and
enthusiastically. He describes his primary asset as a positive attitude
and not being afraid of hard work. He believes in setting goals and
objectives and to get them done!”
After five years, that description is still totally
relevant. He is still the man who enthusiastically greets everyone, arm
outstretched, fingers spread wide and an engaging smile. However, the hair
is starting to show a little tinge of grey, which perhaps reflects his
hard work that has gone into his appointment back in Bangkok as GM of the
Chaophya Park Hotel.
Having been given the brief to reposition the hotel in
2003, he found the owners had a long term view for this; however, Andrew
being the man to “set objectives and get them done” soon knew that he
could do the repositioning much faster than the owners realized, and threw
himself wholeheartedly into the project. “In 18 months we have
refurbished 85 percent of the rooms and now have four styles of
accommodation.” He then launched into an enthusiastic description of the
new ‘Business Deluxe’ class with ultra high-speed broadband internet
connections (10 Mbs) designed to appeal to the corporate market.
I asked Andrew if, after all these years, the
hospitality industry still excited him. “It is immensely satisfying. New
concepts and developments always produce an exciting environment.”
Reflecting on the financial and tourism industry downturns that have beset
Thailand and the hospitality industry since 1997, he said, “Just getting
the banks, the owners and the staff on side makes for an incredibly
satisfying life for me at present. I’m immensely busy as well, as I look
at the marketing. I’m very much involved,” said the busy GM.
That involvement also incorporates travel, and in the
past 12 months he has been to Ireland, Singapore, the ITB (Berlin) and the
Asian Travel Fair to drum up interest in overseas clients for his hotel.
“I attend trade shows because we are changing the face of the hotel to
be more international.”
So what do busy GM’s like Andrew Wood do on their
days off? “I do eat out a lot, socially and out of curiosity,” said
Andrew with a large grin. Having ascertained that these are actually fact
finding visits, I asked him if he were able to sneak in and out of
‘opposition’ hotels unnoticed. “It’s quite rare for GM’s to be
going out to other hotels regularly, but I enjoy taking my senior staff
and even the chefs out to other places to see what is happening,” he
said, deflecting the question somewhat. I then asked if he were able to go
incognito, but not so. “Wherever I go someone will come up and say,
‘Good evening, Mr. Wood’. The major players in the industry all know
each other. Next week I’m going to Canada for a wedding where the groom
used to work in Bangkok. It’s a small world.”
Despite these days working (hard) in Bangkok, Andrew
Wood has kept up his connections with Pattaya. “It took me only one hour
twenty-five minutes to drive down today,” he said with obvious pride,
being the owner of a new Mercedes Benz that needed to stretch its legs.
Benz and Andrew actually make the trip twice each month, as he has a
condominium here, as well as many friends.
“Life is a balance,” said Andrew, “You have to be
productive at work, but you do need the breaks.” I got the feeling that
his own life is in much better balance these days, despite the hectic pace
of the job. “I’m working five and a half days rather than the six or
seven, and I’m playing more tennis, around twice a week these days.
I’m also enjoying not living in the hotel.” For GM Andrew, even the
drive to his Bangkok apartment is a breather from work pressures.
Weekends are his time for entertaining, and he admits
that despite the “better balance” he finds it difficult to just sit
back and relax with a book, saying that he is unable to “sit and do
nothing”. For Andrew, relaxation can be gardening, a hobby that he has
had for many years, and trips to Chatuchak for plants are part of that
relaxation.
He has also developed a longer term view of life for
himself. “You have to start to look to the future, and I believe it is
in property. We all don’t want to work forever and property can provide
long term income.” So while working, he is slowly putting together a
property portfolio, but the Pattaya condominium is not a rental
investment. It is Andrew’s holiday retreat.
This comes from the fact that one of his other
relaxations is the bi-weekly trip to Pattaya. “It’s great to have a
holiday escape, and I have a lot of friends here. Pattaya is a small
community, and strong friendships have been made down here.”
Again as part of his relaxation time (or more
correctly, time away from the hotel work) Andrew has become further
involved with the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) and in the
Skål Club, having remained a member of the local Skål Club of Pattaya
and the East, of which he was the ‘rebirth’ secretary a few years ago.
Andrew Wood was in fact one of the driving forces behind Pattaya’s
winning bid to hold the World Congress of Skål clubs in our resort city
in 2006.
Andrew Wood made a lasting impression on Pattaya, and the local
hospitality industry, when he was resident here, and that influence is
still present. The man has a rare talent, and Pattaya is fortunate the
connection is still there.
