A long record
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| Indigo Pearl Hotel
swimming pool |
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“I used to hang out in my grandfather’s hotel when I
was a little boy. I remember that I liked to play with the old telephone
system in his hotel,” says Mr Ross. Despite this, the hotel
industry was not his first career choice. Instead, after high school,
he spent a year in accounting before realizing that it was not for
him. He bailed out, went back to school and emerged with a business
degree with a major in catering and hotel management. Now he owns
a luxury lodge in New Zealand and at the same time runs one of the
most interesting high-end resorts in Thailand, the Indigo Pearl.
In between, he has held senior management positions in many hotels,
including the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa in Malaysia, the Pan
Pacific Hotel Gold Coast in Australia, The Sentosa Resort &
Spa in Singapore, the Mandarin Oriental Group in Monaco and an All
Seasons hotel in Australia. In New Zealand he set up and ran his
own property, the luxury Azur Lodge in Queenstown, until he was
introduced to the Indigo Pearl’s owners by a headhunter. After
thinking about it for a couple of weeks, he put the Azur Lodge into
the hands of a manager and waved goodbye to New Zealand. “I
love New Zealand but it’s a long way from the action. Phuket
is the opposite; it’s like the center of Asia, with good beaches,
good weather, full of international tourists and renowned for its
hospitality,” Mr Ross explains. “It is also very safe.”
Tin theme for a gold mine
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| Lobby & reception
tin mine style |
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Mr Ross had no input in the hotel new design - his role is to make
it work with guests and staff - but he does admire the design. “I
think Wichit Na Ranong, the resort’s owner, was very brave
to take this decision to re-brand a hotel that was already very
successful.” Since one of the family businesses in days gone
by was tin mining, it was natural that they would think of tin mining
as the new theme for the hotel. Khun Wichit and his daughter, Khun
Prakaikeaw, decided to employ the world-renowned designer Bill Bensley
for the job. It is no surprise that he was able to bring back the
old island charm - the tin mine period - yet touch it up with a
luxury feeling though beautiful fabrics and so on. The design also
gives the distinct feeling that this is a Thai resort.
Some of the repeat guests have mixed feelings about the new look,
Mr Ross admits. But overall the response has been positive, especially
among younger people.
Making plans
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| Staff training at
the Indigo Pearl |
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Mr Ross arrived at Indigo Pearl in August last year, plunging straight
into the work required to re-brand the resort and get it ready for
opening. When it did open, in December, the hotel was full for a
few weeks. Business was so good that there was no time for him or
his team, including a new chef and new managers, to enjoy a soft-opening
settling-in period. “Now that we have more time, I’ll
have to focus on regrouping and retraining. We also aim to complete
construction and interior fitting by Chinese New Year,” says
Mr Ross.
Plans for the near future include make a splash locally and being
more a part of the Phuket community. The first step was taken with
the launch of regular Sunday champagne brunches on January 21 -
the resort needs to entertain more people, Mr Ross believes. At
the international level, the team will be joining trade shows to
raise awareness of the Indigo Pearl name.
Creating a new culture
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| Pearl Bed room
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One challenge has been to create a new working culture, with attention
to detail and everyone aiming to improve every day. He has 250 staff
from the hotel before it was rebranded and 150 new staff, and believes
that it is important that the staff are treated with respect, “so
that when I go home at night I can sleep knowing that the staff
will take good care of the guests. If the guests are happy, business
will grow,” he explains. He especially likes the way that Khun
Wichit has managed to keep hotel staff for many years. The old Pearl
Village had a very high number of return guests over the past 16
years, proof that the hotel staff were first-rate; the guests must
have liked the staff or they would not have come back year after
year - there are, after all, plenty of other nice hotels around
the world.
A naked leap
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| Tuxedo Suite |
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The hotel business is unique. Mr Ross has met many internationally-renowned
people including politicians and government people, and stars of
the stage, screen and business world. “I once met Ralph Lauren
and his family. He was very nice and very down-to-earth,” smiles
Mr Ross. But not everyone is as cool as Ralph Lauren, and some are
distinctly odd. “In Singapore I once had as a guest one of
the best-known British entertainers. I took him to his room and
opened the door. He saw there was a swimming pool inside and immediately
undressed and jumped right in.” He laughs at the memory. But
who was it? Was it Hugh Grant? Robbie Williams? Jude Law? Lord Olivier?
Sadly, Mr Ross’s lips are sealed.
A sensible balance
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| The hotel at dusk |
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“It’s important to have balance in your life,” Mr
Ross says. He hates to see people working too hard. He himself is
a busy man with a brand new resort to run, working long hours to
make it successful.
But always, he says, he finds time for sport and for his hobbies;
he likes tennis, running, cooking and reading. His family are joining
him in Phuket this month. “My youngest son, who wants to be
a tennis star, is now big enough to play against me. I’m looking
forward to that,” he says.
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