(L to R) Rene Pisters greets
Chatchawal Supachayanont and Hans Banzinger.
Staff Reporters
A hotel as we all know it is a commercial establishment
that provides lodging, meals and other services amenities for the comfort of
their guests during their stay. To an average person living in the comfort
of their homes, the need to spend a night in a hotel is almost non-existent.
Even when they travel out of town to visit family and friends, they would
probably be provided with accommodations in the homes of their kin.
Yet there are millions of people all over the world who
travel frequently, either on business trips or for pleasure that need
accommodations during their sojourn away from home.
Commercial accommodations are wide and varied, in size
and services provided. One may have heard the term ‘stars’ used in
describing the categories of hotels. The star rating can usually give one an
impression of what to expect of the hotel where they choose to stay.
Ingo Raeuber (right) meets up
with old friend Holger Kroninger.
The Business Directory gives a rough idea of how the
rating system works. A 1-Star hotel provides a limited range of amenities
and services, but adheres to a high standard of facility-wide cleanliness. A
2-Star hotel provides good accommodation and better equipped bedrooms, each
with a telephone and attached private bathroom. A 3-Star hotel has more
spacious rooms and adds high-class decorations and furnishings and colour
TV. It also offers one or more bars or lounges. A 4-Star hotel is much more
comfortable and larger, and provides excellent cuisine (table d’hote and a
la carte), room service, and other amenities. A 5-Star hotel offers most
luxurious premises, widest range of guest services, as well as swimming pool
and sport and exercise facilities.
Although hotels are classified into ‘Star’ categories,
there is no standard method of assigning these ratings, and compliance with
customary requirements is voluntary. A US hotel with a certain rating, for
example, may look very different from a European or Asian hotel with the
same rating, and would provide a different level of amenities, range of
facilities, and quality of service.
The next generation of
Pattaya entrepreneurs, (l-r) Tony Malhotra (Asst. MD Pattaya Mail), Prem
Busarakamwong (Managing Director of Fairtex Sports Club & Hotel) and Nopporn
Kanchanamanee (District Sales Manager of Thai Airways, Pattaya).
Needless to say every business needs an administrator to
oversee the day to day management of their operations. The hotel business
employs general managers to do just that. Here again the competition is very
high and only the most hard working and dedicated hoteliers are able to make
a name not only for themselves but also for the hotel where they work.
Hotels, whether privately owned or part of a chain,
expect their GMs to ensure high occupancy rates thereby increasing revenue.
To that end the GM must also be aware of what the other hotels in every
category are up to in regards to room rates and services.
But it doesn’t end there; the GM is responsible for the
day-to-day operations of the hotel as well. Chores like inspecting rooms for
cleanliness and making sure that all amenities are in working order. This
goes for practically every square inch of the property including the
landscape and parking facilities.
In Pattaya most of the GMs and hotel executives belong to
a group light heartedly called the ‘GM Gang’. The gang was the brainchild of
Chatchawal Supachayanont, GM of the Dusit Thai Hotel, who many years ago saw
the need to bring together people in the hospitality business for an evening
of fellowship where they got a chance to meet and discuss the various
aspects of the business in an informal atmosphere. The event has proved to
be very popular and dinners are held on a monthly basis hosted by various
hotels around town.
The “notorious” GM Gang poses
for a commemorative photo. (l-r) Tony Malhotra (Pattaya Mail), Michael
Muszumanski (GM Pinnacle Koh Tao), Nijjaporn Marprasert (GM Siam Bayview
Hotel), Phillipe Delaloye (GM Cape Dara), Rene Pisters (Thai Garden Resort),
Chatchawal Supachayanont (GM Dusit Thai Hotel), Clinton Lovell (GM Pullman
Pattaya Hotel G), Peter Malhotra (Pattaya Mail), Holger Kroninger (RM Siam
Bayshore), Hans Banziger and Nicolas LeRat.
The latest get-together was hosted by Rene Pisters, the
long serving GM of the Thai Garden Resort, on May 23. Sitting around the
humongous free-form pool under a starlit sky, Rene spoke of his pride and
joy. “We will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the
Thai Garden Resort next April,” he said. “Right now the resort is undergoing
major renovations and we have closed 30% of our inventory for that purpose.
We have been here so long and are one of the major landmarks of Pattaya;
therefore it is our responsibility not only to our guests but also to help
improve the image of Pattaya as a top class family destination. Ten years
ago, no one asked for free internet, but now the service is expected free of
charge in every hotel. With all these extras that we give, I wonder when we
can get a little more for our services.”
Rene went on to say that, “Pattaya now has 704 hotels and
more are being constructed all the time. This is a good sign for Pattaya and
the tourism business. I just hope that these new establishments also hire
quality staff.”
Having casually inspected the premises Chatchawal said,
“I must compliment Rene on the way he has maintained the Thai Garden Resort
in its impeccable state after 25 years of operation. By renovating the
property on a regular basis, he has managed to keep it in tip-top condition.
I must also say the free-form pool is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen
anywhere. And he is right when he says that the rooms around the pool are in
high demand. I remember when I worked at the Siam Intercontinental Hotel in
Bangkok many decades ago, we also had rooms round the swimming pool and they
were the highest in demand and were also the most expensive to rent.”
He went on to say, “There are many hotels being build
every day, but the difference in their standard is the way they are managed
and operated. Some are run by owners and some by professional hoteliers. You
can see that the better hotels are the ones run by professional hoteliers.
Owners who manage their own hotels are only interested to make more money in
whichever way they can, while professional hoteliers care more for the high
standards and quality of service for the comfort and pleasure of their
guests.”
Ingo Raeuber, Group General Manager of Pinnacle Hotels,
Resorts & Spas commented on the presence of some veteran hoteliers saying,
“Between Khun Chatchawal, Rene and myself we have at least 50 years of hotel
service as GMs between us. We must be the three longest serving GMs in
Pattaya.”
In response to the admiration everyone had for the Thai
Garden swimming pool, he said, “You’re lucky that the Pinnacle Jomtien is
150 meters outside the Pattaya City limits otherwise I could boast that my
swimming pool is the biggest in Pattaya. Our pool is 145 metres long, lined
with bungalows on both sides. Our guests have to only to walk out the door
and jump into the pool.”
In regards to accommodations, Ingo said that his resort
had 350 rooms until recently. “We have just added 60 more rooms to our
inventory. We built the rooms in 5 and half months. That’s a record for
Thailand. Our group of hotels and resorts is growing, with properties in
Bangkok, Satun, Koh Tao, and Pattaya.”
Holger Groninger, resident manager of the Siam Bayshore
Resort & Spa, said that he was quite excited to join the GM Gang dinner. “I
have met so many good old friends and the same time I am making some new
ones. The Siam Group has 3 hotels and 2 more are planned, one in Bangkok and
one in Pattaya. So much is going on in Pattaya so it’s good that we meet to
share ideas and information so that we all work together for the benefit of
the hospitality business in Pattaya.”
Adding to Holger’s comments, Nijjaporn Marprasert GM of
the Siam Bayview Hotel said that renovations were ongoing at the hotel until
October. “We will be fully operational again in November.”
Phillipe Delaloye, another veteran of the hotel industry
said, “In regards to what Ingo said about the collective age of veterans,
you can add my years of service as GM in Pattaya too. We would have a total
of 77 years. When I first came to Pattaya in 1985 there were only 11 hotels.
In 1993 the number rose to 380. Presently the number has grown to 704
hotels. I can assure you that as far as I know the number will reach 720
hotels in Pattaya very soon.”
Speaking about his new baby, Philippe said, “The
construction of Cape Dara is progressing very smoothly and we expect to be
open before the next high season. The new luxury high rise is situated
between Pattaya and Naklua bays offering panoramic views in both directions,
complemented by a superb outlook on the islands off Pattaya Beach. When
finished we will have 264 rooms in 7 categories. We will specialize in a
variety of F&B and entertainment outlets and look forward to hosting one of
the next GM dinners at our venue.”
A vote of thanks goes to Rene Pisters, GM of the Thai
Garden Resort for hosting an excellent German Bar-B-Que along with an array
of fine wines and German beer not to mention inimitable Gemtlichkeit.