Anthony Ross of the Indigo Pearl Hotel

What used to be the Pearl Village Hotel on Nai Yang Beach has reopened in December, after significant remodeling, as the Indigo Pearl Resort. We caught up with the resort’s new GM, Australian Anthony Ross, just after he returned from a few weeks’ holiday, refreshed and in a thoroughly good mood. Was it the break that bucked him up, or the re-branding of the hotel? Let’s find out.

A long record

Indigo Pearl Hotel swimming pool

“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

Lobby & reception tin mine style

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

Staff training at the Indigo Pearl

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

Pearl Bed room

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

Tuxedo Suite

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

The hotel at dusk

“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.