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Premier hotel owes so much to Kurt Wachtveitl. Passion is
the first thing that Kurt Wachtveitl mentioned when asked how he had managed
to remain the general manager of
The Oriental Bangkok Hotel for 38 years without the slightest idea of
quitting.
Every day, aside from the new faces of guests, new problems and new
competitors, what pops up in his mind is the things-to-do list to maintain
the hotel’s attraction for affluent guests from all parts of the world who
keep coming back to cherish the Oriental’s unique charm and superb service.
“You need passion,” said the 67-year-old German who has been behind the
hotel’s success. “The moment you don’t like it, you’re dead meat.”
Known to the 800 permanent hotel staff as Khun Kurt, he landed in
Thailand in 1965. He was a graduate of Lausanne Hotel School and had briefly
worked at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Lausanne, the Trois Couronnes in Vevey
and the Suvretta in St Moritz, all in Switzerland. After two years as
general manager of the Nipa Lodge in Pattaya, he was persuaded by the late
Chaiyudh Karnasuta of Italian-Thai Development, which had bought The
Oriental, to move to Bangkok. At that time, The Oriental was nearly 90 years
old.
“I was young and didn’t think too much. I was used to old hotels with
great traditions where we could do something fantastic. Things couldn’t go
wrong with the right management and the right money,” he said.
Kurt’s first days were devoted to the renovation of the French restaurant
Normandie. Kicking off the hotel’s resurrection was the expansion from 100
to 400 rooms. This was followed by periodical renovations of restaurants and
the inclusion of leisure services, including the spa, which was recently
voted the world’s best by Gallivanter’s Guide.
Under his stewardship, The Oriental joined the prestigious Mandarin
Oriental Hotel Group in 1981 and won numerous prizes. Kurt attributed them
to the owners, loyal guests and the staff, the three pillars who have never
doubted him.
“The staff make me look very good,” he joked.
The Oriental has been renowned for the recognition of guests by their
names and their preferences, a tradition the best hotels in the world have
employed to lure guests back year after year.
“This is so deep in the Thai culture. It’s thus so natural. This is not
something you can get from training. It must come from the heart,” he said.
This is the hotel philosophy he has instilled in his staff every day over
the past decades, and he believes that this is the reason why The Oriental
remains dear to upscale business-leisure travellers. He always tells the
staff that at least 25 per cent of guests wouldn’t come to Thailand without
The Oriental. Some guests fly from Beijing to Bangkok before leaving for
London just to stay at The Oriental.
“We have to go the extra mile as guests’ expectations are very high. We
have to be special all the way to please them. The Oriental has become
something of an institution,” he said.
Kurt said 50 per cent of guests repeated their visits, encouraging the
hotel to spend Bt3.2 billion over the past five years on renovations. Amid
fierce competition, The Oriental lost no time differentiating itself from
competitors, particularly newer hotels along the Chao Phya River and ones
managed by international chains.
In the absence of bad news for tourism, The Oriental expects to raise its
occupancy rate this year to 70 per cent, from 68 per cent last year.
Contributing to the higher occupancy rate are travellers from new markets
like China, Russia, the Middle East and India, while European, Japanese and
American travellers account for over 80 per cent of guests.
To keep the business vibrant, Kurt never tires of thinking about
renovations day in, day out. Boosting his spirits greatly in the past few
years is the birth of the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, a luxury resort
hotel in Chiang Mai. Kurt flies there every 10 days to monitor progress
ahead of the grand opening in March.
“I can’t wait to go up there again, to see it grow. It gave me a new
life,” he said, dubbing it his new mistress.
Kurt was happy to host the grand celebration for The Oriental’s 130th
anniversary. He has no idea of leaving the hotel, and he anticipates another
big celebration when it turns 150. He will be 87 by then. Will he still be
around?
“I should be here, in spirit,” he laughed. Indeed, that is what the
Oriental staff expects: even when he’s gone, his spirit will be seen
wandering the premises doing the routines he has done for 38 years.
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Oriental
Hotel Bangkok