Mr Jean-Pierre Dousse
Ayara Hilltops GM

Interview by Peter Flood

Jean-Pierre Dousse has been in Phuket for just one year. Born in France, he spent 15 years in the US working for Ritz Carlton and Accor Hotels. Before that he worked in Biarritz at the Hotel du Palais, one of the world's leading hotels. The hotel was built in 1853 by Napoleon III for his wife. Jean-Pierre was also involved with the opening of the Ritz-Carlton in Singapore in 1996.

"I love Phuket, especially the west coast. It's obvious why so many tourists want to come here. I also like the east coast but it's so far from anywhere.

Mr Jean-Pierre Dousse - Ayara Hilltops GM - Phuket

Ayara Hilltops entrance

"It's very difficult to come to Asia as a GM because you're required to already have had Asian experience. I was lucky as the owners here knew that I didn't have any, but when I was in NY I worked with a lot of Asians. I think that Asian experience is necessary for owners as they want to be sure that you'll treat the staff properly.

It would be easy for anyone unfamiliar with the way things happen in Asia to shout at staff when things aren't happening quickly enough and then the staff just leaving without giving any reason, the GM would be none the wiser and continue shouting. Here the owners want to ensure that it's a nice working atmosphere for everyone."

The owners of Ayara Hilltops seem to have their heads screwed on as Jean-Pierre has total freedom over the hotel. "I've never worked for a company where the owners were so willing. Previously, there was a management company whose main business was managing properties – I'm not sure that they realised how much work was involved in managing a hotel. Now we've changed our name to Ayara Hilltops as we felt that the previous name 'Treetops' didn't paint the right picture in people's minds."

Well-kept and colorful garden

"Since I've been here I've made some changes around the hotel, one of which is the beds. Some comments came through that that the beds were too hard so we replaced all the mattress tops and added additional pillows. Now we have soft, medium and firm pillows on every bed.

I've also brought in a food and beverage consultant to review our offerings to see where we can improve. Just before I arrived the spa was changed to incorporate treatments and products by renowned European spa group [comfort zone], winner of 'Best Spa Cosmetic Product' at the 2006 European Spa Exhibition in Monte Carlo, in addition to traditional Thai massage and treatments."

"I live here so I get used to the place whereas when guests come they bring a fresh eye. A lot of the improvements I make are based on guest comments and when many guests make the same comment it's a case of where there's smoke there's fire, for example we've increased the amount of privacy in the outdoor areas and infinity pools in the villa suites – comments from guests alerted me to this need."

Frangipani flowers around the pool

"I'm very lucky that the owners trust me, they let the GM do his business without interfering. The heads of department and the employees know that it's not necessary to talk to the owners because they'll be referred back to me and when I ask for funds to make changes they're very forthcoming."

The atmosphere around the resort is warm and friendly, largely due to the staff. Finding and keeping good staff can be tough on an island that has so many hotels, though, "I'm pleased with the staff we have however, you could say that we have a lot - 117 staff for 48 suites in 23 villas spread over 10 rai (16,000 sqm), although we do outsource the gardeners. Our turnover is 15-20% which I'm pleased with. Often staff members leave for a better job which is sad for us but I'm happy for them, what I don't like is that there seems to be many unscrupulous companies poaching staff. The last time that happened a member of my staff was told 'if you want to join us you need to start in three days or we will offer the job to someone else' which is very unethical, these companies are not built on trust and loyalty."

"One standard rule at Ritz-Carlton is that in a conversation with a guest you have to say their name at least three times. Here, there's a cultural difference and English isn't the first language so that's not going to happen but the guest care is excellent – the staff here love to please our guests."

"Our maintenance team has 15 people, which is a lot but we don't have to outsource much plus we can make sure that the rooms are refurbished regularly. By next July every room will have been refurbished since my arrival – then we will start the first room again. This summer the hotel will undergo renovation of the lobby to place more emphasis our Thai heritage, additionally there will be an extension of Spice Poolside Café and renovation of some of our infinity pools suites to become 2 bedroom villas."

by Peter Flood