THE INTERVIEW : GREG MEADOWS
The Sukhothai is set on 6 acres ( 2.4 hectares ) in the middle of Bangkok .
I had a staff orientation today and told them there is no other reason for you to be here other than to look after the guest . There is no other reason . That is what we do . We do it the oldfashioned way , I suppose . There are no gimmicks , and no new takes on service . It is simply about doing what we can do to go the extra mile .
H : What do you think about all the new lifestyle “ brands ”?
GM : They are all different and have their own exciting style and ambiance . I am not too crazy about walking into a new chain hotel , but maybe a designer is opening his own hotel , and that is where the excitement is . Here it is the Siam Hotel by a younger owners ( Krissada Sukosol Clapp and the local Sukosol family ) putting their own stamp on it , putting their own antiques in and being involved in the design . H : What influences your operation now ? GM : Our Thai restaurant has always been here ( 21 years ), and it is the leader in town because we keep it fresh by knowing what is going on outside in the F & B area . Food is the most exciting thing out there these days , and we have an Art of Dining program where we invite four or five 3-star Michelin chefs to our La Scala restaurant and our team learns from them . We learn about presentation and new ways of cooking , and they learn from us , as well .
H : What is your philosophy about refurbishment ?
GM : Our design has stood the test of time . When we need to refurbish we invite the original designer to return , as we don ’ t want to make drastic changes . We keep true to the original concept , as this is a unique property . It would be quite easy if we had different GMs coming through wanting to put their stamp on the hotel , which you can do in subtle ways , but I don ’ t think you need to drastically mess with the product . The owners are very sensitive to being true to the original concept and the design by Ed Tuttle . H : How are guest needs evolving ? GM : Guests are not getting any easier to please . You have to get it right the first time , or they will walk out and write a lousy review on TripAdvisor .
You don ’ t have any second chances . When a guest walks in everything has to work . Everybody must perform to the best of their ability . The guest is unforgiving , and he has a huge number of choices . So they are very demanding . They don ’ t mind paying good money as long as they get great service to go with it . Even in an oversupplied market like this , you don ’ t have to offer two-for-one or include the kitchen sink in the rate .
H : Luxury guests are really writing TripAdvisor reviews ?
GM : Yes . I am amazed . You will see it mainly with the leisure guests . Sometimes you don ’ t recognize what they are writing and sometimes you don ’ t understand , but it is out there and out there fast , and we are responding .
H : How is the hotel industry in Thailand faring right now ?
GM : We have had so many stops and starts over the years . It has been extraordinary — from floods to politics . We always seem to be going through some trauma or another , but Bangkok always manages to bounce back quickly after these events .
34 HOTELS November 2012 www . hotelsmag . com