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Frank Dreist
General Manager of Phuket Pavilions Hotel
by
Rungtip Hongjakpet Izmen
Frank Dreist
General Manager of Phuket Pavilions Hotel
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In the star
As a child growing up in Germany, Frank Dreist was always interested in Asian. Perhaps it was because his father travelled frequently to Asia on business, including trips to Bangkok and Hong Kong. Though young Frank was not invited along, his interest in Asia grew. He finally made his first trip to Asia when he was 16, staying in Hong Kong for a short while. I wanted to get an idea of whether I wanted to work in the hotel business or not, he explains. Hotel work did attract him, so he went to in Switzerland. The Asia connection struck once more: as part of his education he was sent with five other students to Bangkok as a hotel trainee. It was the first time the school had sent students to Asia, smiles Mr Dreist. Asia, it seems, was in his stars and in his blood. He tried working in a hotel in the UK for six months, but then quit and came to Phuket. That was in 1992. I got an offer to be the Assistant F&B Director at the Cape Panwa Hotel. I took the job. Easy decisionWasnt this a big risk for a young man to take at the start of his career in hotels? Mr Dreist doesnt think so. Hotel work, whether in a big city or on a small island, has the same business goal: we have to please the guests and do good business for the company. I always knew that sooner or later I would be coming to Asia. I got a good offer [at the Cape Panwa]; I knew that I would have the chance to learn a lot, he says His next stop was in the Kata Group, a family-owned group of hotels in Phuket. It was a long stop - 13 years - but in that time he received a good education in the business, climbing from F&B Director to Resident Manager and then General Manager overseeing two hotels: the Kata Beach Resort and the Karon Beach Resort. During his tenure, the hotels were upgraded, occupancy was pushed up to more than 85% and the Kata Beach Resort has become, it seems, the permanent headquarters and host to the annual Phuket Kings Cup Regatta, one of Asias premier sailing events. Working for family-owned hotels has pros and cons, says Mr Dreist. I found it a good way to build determination. It tends to take longer for things to get approved and get done. And I appreciate the work the hotel owners have done for Phuket. They have done a lot to promote Phuket to the outside world. Smaller and sexierBefore accepting the new post at the two-year-old Pavilions, Mr Dreist spent a year as Group General Manager in charge of two other hotels in Phuket: the 260-room Surin Beach Resort and the 180-suite Kamala Bay Garden Resort. I was there for a year but I had always wanted to do something
with a smaller executive-type hotel. There is nothing wrong with
big hotels but when you have lot of rooms to take care of, you lose
touch with the guests; you spend all your time on other things.
I wanted to get closer to the guests again. The real challenge
It took him about a month to settle in and he is now shifting into
high gear. This month the hotel will introduce more services for
guests. One of this will be a much more personalised service, in
the form of the butler. The idea is to have the same person
assist the guest in every way, starting from welcoming them to the
hotel, serving them breakfast and helping them organize their days
while they are with us. The second innovation is already up and running: twice-weekly barbecues in the hotels 360 bar and restaurant, situated on the top of the hill, with stunning views of the Andaman Sea. Busy in Paradise
There will be plenty more work for Mr Dreist in the near future. The Phuket Pavilions is the second resort with that name - the original one is in Bali - and now a third is to be built in Krabi. We will also have the second phase of Phuket Pavilions [under
construction] next to the existing property in Phuket; the work
will start in June, at the same time as work starts in Krabi.
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Phuket Pavilions HotelRead the Aaron Mahan's review of the Phuket Pavilions Hotel |
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