Sometimes
when I ask the question, “How did you happen to come to Chiang
Mai?”, I am amazed by the answer, by the series of events that
came together at just the right moment in time to bring somebody
to just the exact point in their life that Chiang Mai is the
logical destination.
I sat down and talked with Edward Wateridge
on a recent beautiful afternoon near the pool at the Amora
Hotel. The poolside bar had opened only the day before, and
workers were still bringing in pots of lush foliage and flowers
to soften the area and make it inviting. The scents of herbal
scrubs and steams occasionally c rept out of the newly opened
branch of the Oasis Spa, and were inviting and relaxing. But
none of those props were necessary to enjoy an hour talking to
Edward, who immediately makes his guests welcome.
He grew up in the seaside town of Bournemouth
in England, which was not only a tourist destination but also
home to several English language schools that catered to the
needs of foreign students. And that brings us to a lovely love
story. Edward went to college and met his future wife, who was a
young Thai woman perfecting her English and taking hotel
studies. Edward was in finance, and his studies completed,
entered the industry in the U.K. It turned out to be far more
hazardous that he had anticipated as the U.K. entered an
economically depressed period and the company folded. So Edward
and that lovely young Thai student thought it over. She had just
completed her studies and it was time to go home to Thailand. He
was young and had definite management and corporate lending
knowledge. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”, they decided
and off to Bangkok they went eleven years ago.
He had no idea where his career would go, nor
did he know what he would find to do in Thailand. But again
things happened, and he went to work for an independent company
selling corporate training packages. And at the end of one
training session, he was offered a position with the Shangri La
Hotel in Bangkok. He says that he spent four “very
enjoyable” years with the company and received the “best on
the job training” he could have possibly asked for in the
Human Resources department. Because he was a trainer, he worked
with almost every department in the hotel completing training
needs analyses and implementing training programs. It was the
best possible way to learn about the operations of a five star
hotel. Then his colleagues began to move on as their individual
careers advanced, and so did he.
Siam City Hotels and Resorts called and he
worked in the sales and marketing department for three years. He
was groomed in marketing by an accomplished mentor, a skill that
he has utilized over and over. When his mentor left, so did he,
and went to a start up company out of the United Kingdom named
“Ascent”. For a year and a half he worked teaching
management training skills and team building while working in
sales and marketing. He did consulting. Diethelm, a large and
well-established tourism company, began to telephone him. He
resisted at first, but then agreed to talk to them. He
eventually moved to Diethelm and worked under the tutelage of
Armin Schoch, for whom he has great praise as a teacher. He
became involved in MICE, the new buzzword in international
tourism markets - Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and
Exhibitions. He traveled three months of the year to Europe and
South Africa, hotspots for this type of tourism. His wife was
expecting their first child, and they literally scheduled his
birth by Caesarean section to fit into Edward’s travel
schedule. Then SARS hit Southeast Asia, closely followed by bird
flu and increased violence in the South of Thailand. Tourism in
Thailand came to a standstill, and the company was forced to
make cuts. Edward’s job went with tourism. He took it
seriously, but made the decision to slow down and get to know
his baby son. It was a good decision.
It didn’t take long before he was on the
job again, this time with the Amora Hotels and Resorts. Most of
us know the property in Chiang Mai as the Amora Rydges.
Originally opened as the Rydges, named for the Australian hotel
management company, the property owner, Amora, soon took over
its management. For a year and a half, he was director of sales
and marketing and based in Bangkok. He and his family thrived.
Then a major opportunity and difficult decision entered their
lives. The general manager at the Amora in Chiang Mai resigned,
and the job was offered to Edward. His wife’s job and career
are in Bangkok, but like many dual career families they knew
they would eventually face the challenges of a long-distance
marriage. So Edward accepted the offer and moved to Chiang Mai
several weeks ago.
He says his predecessor did a fine job of
bringing the hotel this far, and now he is “tweaking and
refining” certain areas. The pool area is certainly well
tweaked. I could adjust to spending my afternoons there quite
easily. And I’m not about to forget about that new spa. But
there are many things to learn about Chiang Mai and its
permanent resident community, many things to learn about related
to tourism here. He is certainly up to the challenge, he has a
wonderful background for it, but he acknowledges that he misses
his family during the week. His little son is now three years
old, a bundle of energy, and a delight to his parents.
Edward has found an aikido group at Chiang Mai University,
and practices with them two or three times a week. And he’s
dusting off his golf clubs, thanks to friends here who are happy
to practice with him. We’re delighted that his journey has
brought him to Chiang Mai, and wish him “chohk dee”.
