Prayuth Thamdhum

by Dr. Iain Corness

The new general manager at the very well established Montien Hotel in Pattaya is Prayuth Thamdhum, a very well established player in the hospitality industry. Prayuth, despite his gelled hair and youthful looks, has been in the industry for 20 years, after starting his career in the Montien in Bangkok.
He was born in Lopburi, the son of an Air Force General, and it might have been expected that their son would continue in the military mold or tradition, but that was not Prayuth in any way. He was sent to further his education in Bangkok, and he believes the seeds of independent thought were already sown by then. He walked past a hotel and peeked inside. “It looked so smart. It had a beautiful ambience,” said Prayuth. He knew then where he was headed.
His choice of career was not, however, what his parents might have wished for their son, but Prayuth, the independent thinker, continued on his self-determining direction. Some of that he ascribes to the Kasetsart University School which fostered independent thought. “I made my own decisions from when I was very young, around 15-16 years of age. My school allowed me to express personal opinions.”
Having made the decision, he joined the hospitality industry where we all began our careers, at the bottom. It is at this time that young people can doubt their choice and leave, but not Prayuth. He knew this was the right choice for him.
The hospitality industry is also not one where you advance by seniority. It is an industry where you have to keep moving from property to property, if you wish to get ahead. Once again, his parents wondered about their son, who appeared to be changing employers quicker than some politicians can change their portfolios! However, Prayuth was following his star, moving up the corporate ladders as he moved from the Montien, to the Dusit, to the Royal Orchid Sheraton, amongst others.
The hotel industry depends on rooms being filled, and the occupancy rate is often a reflection of world politics. This was particularly so during the first Gulf War, Thailand being just one of the countries that saw tourist numbers fall. Enlightened management was needed, and he was fortunate. He was in the guest services department and his hotel decided that rather than just complain about falling numbers, they would increase the size of the sales force and improve the situation. Prayuth was picked to join the sales team and was very successful. His superiors recognized talent when they saw it, and within eight months he had gone from a sales trainee to become sales manager. “I am a quick learner,” said Prayuth with a grin. He continued by saying, “You have to think what you would like me to do. I always say ‘guide’ me rather than ‘tell’ me.”
Having now entered the managerial levels, his career continued unabated, but so did the moving from hotel property to hotel property, going to such up-market places as the Cha-am Polo Club, the Dusit Thani (again) and then to the Mandarin Oriental where he was the assistant director of sales and marketing.
While this was very personally satisfying for Prayuth, his mother and father continued to be amazed at their son’s career movements. “Thai families like to have the children around, but this is not possible for me in the hospitality industry.” Despite this, Prayuth does say that he has a happy family, and this is one factor which gives him his positive attitude, and that is one factor in this man’s make-up that is very obvious.
He has applied that all the way through his life, combining the positive approach with his own innate sense of Buddhism. He understands the concept of emotional quotients (EQ) as well, saying, “You have to build it.” Those who follow Daniel Goleman’s revelations in neuroscience and psychology that stressed the importance of emotional quotient (EQ) will understand his dictum, “Our emotional intelligence determines our potential for learning the practical skills that are based on its five elements: self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, empathy, and adeptness in relationships. Our emotional competence shows how much of that potential we have translated into on-the-job capabilities.”
Prayuth Thamdhum embodies and understands all those elements saying “I am a Buddhist and a Thai,” and explained this with the analogy of being tail-gated by another driver on the highway. His positive thinking takes him past the initial response of anger. “I am still a human being, but I can learn from being a Buddhist. The person may be running late for an important appointment. They could be sick and need to go to a hospital. Everyone can have their own reason for anger.” His personal philosophy can then distance him from negative emotions. This philosophy is undoubtedly that which has brought him up through the corporate ladder, to his current general manager level.
I asked about his hobbies and he surprised me again by saying, “I have too many!” The first one he mentioned was reading, but not novels or ‘who-dunnits’ but on architecture and interior design. Surprising until you remember his statement when he walked past a hotel as a teenager. “It looked so smart. It had a beautiful ambience.” That appreciation of art and form is still there.
Another hobby is gardening, and he maintains a small commercial nursery behind his house, but of course, time is a problem for him as far as tending to the greenery.
However, one item that he can indulge in is collecting, and he has items from every country he has visited, but his favorite collectibles are Thai, which fits a man who is proudly Thai. “I like Thai food, I like Thai culture and I do not want to work overseas, as I am too Thai.” It then makes sense that this man is working for a Thai hotel.
Prayuth Thamdhum is an interesting character, and with his IQ and EQ will go far in his chosen field. Welcome to Pattaya.