In the star
Mr Dreist and a reception employee
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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 decision
Wasn’t this a big risk for a young man to take at the start
of his career in hotels? Mr Dreist doesn’t 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
King’s Cup Regatta, one of Asia’s 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 sexier
Before 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 Phuket Pavilions fitted the bill. “I like it that the place
is not big and is unique. I like the hotel concept: private and
a bit of a sexy feeling,” Mr Dreist explains. That sexiness
is summed up in the hotel’s website: “No tan lines. Total
privacy. Your personal pool - infinity edge - for views as seamless
as your tan.”
The real challenge
360 Degree Bar & Restaurant
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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.
“At the moment we have hotel staff from many departments doing
those jobs - receptionist, concierge, waiter and so on, but we believe
the guests will like it more if they deal with one person throughout
their vacation.”
The second innovation is already up and running: twice-weekly barbecues
in the hotel’s 360 bar and restaurant, situated on the top
of the hill, with stunning views of the Andaman Sea.
Busy in Paradise
Phuket Pavilions reception
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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.”
Hotel work, Mr Dreist notes with a smile, is always busy, no matter
where you are - even in paradise.
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