Hotels & Resorts - Lifestyle+Travel

This page: Sri Panwa’sHospitality & BusinessDevelopment Director KhunWan patrols his turf.Opposite: Khun Wan’spersonal villa, the largest ofits kind in Sri Panwa.s pec ial vi lla prom oti on s ec tionThe Bachelor and his PadInterview by Jeerawan DuangnamPictures by Chen PovanontSri Panwa’s Khun Wan takes hospitalityto another level.Iwas appreciating the design of Sri Panwa’sbreathtaking Andaman Sea-front villas whenI noticed a young man dressed in the standardSri Panwa uniform walking about the resortenthusiastically. I had seen him before; he was usuallycycling around or walking from site to site, instead oftaking the in-house Tuk Tuk as the other staff did. Infact, he looked rather like someone that I had seen ontelevision, or perhaps in a magazine.How uncanny that this was the man I was to interviewduring my stay at Sri Panwa. The meeting took placeat his residence, the spacious and most beautifulpool villa of its kind. Thoughtfully designed and withstellar views, it is built in a tropical contemporarystyle that fuses design with the green surrounds of thepeninsula. Like every villa in Sri Panwa, this one hadits own pool circling the master bedroom; a big livingroom; and an outdoor Jacuzzi.Given the standard of luxury at his villa, would theowner of this hotel and residence come to the interviewdressed in Armani? No – he was still wearing the SriPanwa uniform, and the same friendly smile.Just 25 years old, a graduate of the prestigiousInternational Hotels & Business Management Schoolin Switzerland with an Advanced knowledge of Hoteland Business Management, Vorasit Issara, or “KhunWan”, as he is known to everyone.Khun Wan’s passion for hospitality was enlivenedduring his schooling in Switzerland when he wasoffered a traineeship in management at VillaFeltrinelli, a top luxury hotel in Italy, reviewed in thispublication in Issue 5. Khun Wan is a natural when itcomes to entertaining; needless to say he excelled inhis studies in hospitality.After he graduated, Khun Wan and his group ofenergetic, like-minded friends came to worked at SriPanwa. Here he was able to apply his ideas and skillsto a just-opened property. His idea was to make themost of this prime location – a Phuket peninsula82

“‘Lifestyle’ is not onlysomething to be had in theroom; we create lifestyleshere, from the spa to thedining experience…”83

Sri Panwa’s beach pool is the place to catch an Andaman sunset.covered in lush, tropical trees and fringed by a pristineseaside. “Phuket is secure and accessible,” says Khun Wan.“You can have a good quality of life here, and Sri Panwa issituated in an untouched location. You can go to downtownPhuket to get the Sino-Portuguese ambience, or check outour high-end neighbours, such as Lock Palm Country Club,Cape Panwa Hotel and Conrad Hotel.”On the making of Sri Panwa – both the residences and hotel– Khun Wan explains: “It was like constructing a pyramid.I had to recruit staff and make an operation plan for bothhouse-keeping and F&B. I had to sell off the property towould-be residents, while following up on the construction.”His efforts were rewarded: Phase 1 of Sri Panwa Residencesold out fast. “Our guests can see and feel the finishedproduct on the hotel side. I let them experience and feel it;whether they like it is up to them.“At Sri Panwa, we aim to be on par with the top 10 hotelsof the world.” In order to achieve the goal, Khun Wanpromotes a tailor-made experience, which makes Sri Panwaextraordinarily special. “‘Lifestyle’ is not only somethingto be had in the room; we create lifestyles here, from thespa to the dining experience. We have jet skis to play within a natural environment, and we have a yacht for throwingparties. This is not only a place to sleep and eat, but also aplace to entertain.”When it comes to creating lifestyles, Khun Wan is as goodas his word: even the play-list in his villa’s stylish audioplayer is of his design. There are all kinds of funky musicon tap: chill-out, boss nova, trance. If you’re lucky, youmight even see him spin at the hotel’s Baba Restaurantone evening.When Khun Wan is not working, he is like any other 25-year-old. He likes to drive around Phuket Island and goto the beach for a lazy afternoon. But when it comes tohospitality, he is über-energetic, and tells me that the teamat Sri Panwa has a special energy, too.So, Khun Wan, what makes guests come back to Sri Panwa?“Everything from location, view, staff. We stimulate everysense here – smell, sight touch, taste. Sri Panwa not onlylooks good; it tastes good.”lifestyle@sripanwa.com, sripanwa.com84