August 25, 2016 was a date Chatchawal Supachayanont had circled on his calendar his entire career. It was the day the Dusit Thani Hotel general manager would officially “retire” after working for Dusit International for 35 years.
As is the norm in Thailand, the traditional retirement date for government workers, military officers and corporate executives is September 30; however, this date didn’t mean the end of Chatchawal’s contributions to the hospitality industry. Now free to do whatever he wanted, Chatchawal instead chose to become a guide and mentor to newer generations of hoteliers and people aspiring to make a career in the hospitality business.
On October 1, 2016 when most people start their first day of retirement, Chatchawal invited a few of his closest friends to the Cholchan Pattaya Resort, where he proudly announced that he had taken on his new responsibilities as the assistant vice president of the Cholchan Pattaya Resort.
Chatchawal worked as the general manager of the Dusit Thani Pattaya for 24 years after starting his time with the company at the Dusit Inn Chiang Mai, which today is the Royal Princess Chiang Mai.
While in Pattaya, he served as president of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter for 10 years, an advisor to the THA board of directors, the Pattaya Honorary Consul for Sweden, and vice president of the environmental Green Leaf Foundation.
Speaking to the gathering Chatchawal said, “During my time with Dusit Thani Pattaya, I oversaw many changes at the hotel, including inviting business partners such as Jim Thompson, Thai Airways International, and Avis rental cars to set up shop in our hotel. I turned the Dusit Thani Pattaya into a corporate business hotel by spearheading the creation of the 2,400-sq.-meter Napalai Convention Hall.”
During his time, the Dusit Thani became the exclusive venue for international sporting events, including the PTT Pattaya Open (professional women’s tennis), the Honda LPGA Tournament (professional women’s golf), Thailand Chess Open, and was co-sponsor of the Pattaya Marathon and Triathlon.
Social responsibility was also a major focus for Chatchawal, who began the annual “kathin” charity events around the country, bringing donations to temples, schools and hospitals. That earned him an audience with HRH Princess Sirindhorn each year for 24 years.
Locally, Chatchawal was also the leader of the ‘GM Gang’ which brought together hotel managers and executives for regular get-togethers, thus increasing cooperation and friendly ties between Pattaya hoteliers.
“With Cholchan, I plan to make it a classy business and leisure hotel, the same way I did with the Dusit,” he said. “The place has great potential with its facilities, such as the Rendezvous Pub, meeting rooms and spacious well-kept grounds. I welcome people to hold different events both indoor and outdoor. We can accommodate all types of indoor meetings as well various outdoor affairs such as classic car exhibitions.”
Knowing you Khun Chatchawal, we have no doubt in our minds that you will raise the profile of the Cholchan Pattaya Resort and make it a name to be reckoned with in the business and tourism industry both locally and internationally.
