Marcus Wirsching

by Dr. Iain Corness

The Dusit Resort in Pattaya has a new Resident Manager. He is Marcus Wirsching and is a man who has found his true niche in life. “People and travel are the things I like most,” said Marcus, and ever since leaving school he has followed that personal dictum. This makes the man a natural in the hotel and hospitality industry.
Marcus was born in Berlin, but there was no evidence of any family tradition towards the hospitality industry, with the closest being his mother who was a social worker. He was an average student, but it was obvious (now) that he lacked direction, looking first at a career in retail sales, then changing his stream towards economics.
With no career path, Marcus decided that after leaving school he would be better equipped for life if he were proficient in English, particularly as he wanted to travel. The best way to do this was to load up his rucksack and head to the UK as a back-packer. And of course, like most back-packers he needed temporary employment, and the usual place to find it is in hotels.
He enrolled at an agency and was soon employed as a waiter, but from the outset it became apparent that he had a talent for learning, and an ability to relate to the guests. The Hilton group took him and began his training, and over the next three years he moved around through the Hilton chain, while moving upwards through restaurant supervisor and on to chief steward.
By now he had good English language skills, and the start of hospitality skills, and when offered a position with the Hilton in Munich he took it. “Why not? I wanted a transfer and I hadn’t worked in hospitality in Germany.”
However it was not long before the travel bug had bit him again. He bought a round the world ticket with Air New Zealand and set off. Like all back-packers, he began to run short of money, and by the time he reached Brisbane, Australia he had to make some decisions. “I started to apply for work. You can’t live like that (back-packing) for ever. I had to get serious again.”
The Sheraton in Abu Dhabi needed a banquet manager, and his references from the Munich Hilton were enough to get him the position. He was still traveling, but this time he was making money. He stayed there for 18 months, but had kept in touch with the Hilton chain which had given him his start, and took a posting as assistant Food and Beverage (F&B) manager in the Hilton in Sri Lanka, with its seven restaurants and five bars.
This was another step up the ladder, but also another giant step for his lifestyle. He met a young Sri Lankan lady working in the Hilton, the woman who was to become his wife.
He continued with the in-house training and still dedicated to travel, returned to the UK as an assistant F&B manager in Le Meridien in Leeds. This was not his best posting, but he had kept in touch with people in the industry that he had met in Asia and was alerted that there was a position coming up in Thailand. “My wife was Asian and I wanted to experience Asia again too. The posting was as the F&B director for the Sofitel in Hua Hin.”
He enjoyed his two years in Hua Hin, but he had yet to experience a hotel opening. His wife also wanted to spend some time in Europe, and they combined their desires with Marcus taking a position with the soon-to-open Radisson SAS in Glasgow, Scotland. “An opening is very rewarding,” said Marcus. “You start six months before the opening, hiring staff, walking around the building in a hard hat. It is the opportunity to really create something.”
Having chalked an ‘opening’ into his CV, he stayed with the Radisson SAS and returned to his native Germany to be the hotel manager of their 560 room hotel in Hamburg. There his wife learned German, Marcus learned the ropes as a manager, and the travel bug slowly became stronger. He knew people who worked for the Dusit Group and heard of the Resident Manager post that was coming up in Pattaya at our Dusit Resort.
Asia has a very special place in Marcus’ heart. Apart from the fact that his wife is Asian, he describes living here as a more affordable lifestyle, but he especially likes the different mentality of the people. “There is a genuine friendliness. Working here is a lot more fun than in Europe. It makes working here a lifestyle rather than just a job.”
The Resident Manager position here is very similar to the hotel manager post he left in Hamburg. There is around the same number of rooms, but there is much more staff here. This brings with it the greatest challenge for Marcus. “Just getting to know everybody by name,” he said! However, he is a very friendly and personable young man, and I am sure the local staff will soon put him at ease. He has already given himself some objectives he wants to fulfill at the Dusit. “I want to position the F&B higher, to remain Number 1.”
His hobbies have been very varied, and relate to where he was in the world. Snow skiing in Germany, hiking in Scotland, SCUBA diving in Asia, but above all – traveling. Yes, the travel bug is still there, and the excitement that comes from the feeling of freedom while back-packing. “South America and India are on my list. Back-packing has been an important part of my life. Traveling you get to meet different people. There’s so much more than just living in Germany.”
But all that is for the future, as is his dream of owning his own small resort in Sri Lanka. Right now he is fully engrossed in his Resident Manager position here – and learning the names of all the staff!