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Published on September 6, 2007

Many people will recall the sale of the Imperial Group of Hotels. It was one of the outcomes of the 1997 financial crisis, when the group's owner Akorn Hoontrakul sold it to liquor tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi for Bt5.9 billion.

Akorn used most of the money to pay off the group's debts, but he kept just a few properties. One of them was Tongsai Bay, on Koh Samui, which he built as his personal property when he was running the Imperial Group.

Since his death in 2000, Akorn's son Thanakorn has kept his father's beloved property in good condition and has left the original development concept intact.

Thanakorn, or Kob, who holds a degree in economics from the University of East Anglia at Norwich in England, and his wife Saisiri, or Goya, who graduated in computer information systems from Saint Mary's University in the US, took over management of the five-star resort.

Now, as Tongsai Bay celebrates its 20th anniversary, Thanakorn and Goya insist they will keep changes to the property to an absolute minimum, and one thing that will never change will be its lush environment.

"We won't increase the number of rooms above the existing 83, and we will not expand upon what we have. We can tell you that we don't want to have business risks. We will run the business on the basis of sufficiency and we are committed to giving our customers the best service," Thanakorn says.

The only plans they have for changes or additional amenities include provision of a small meeting room and relocation of the spa from its current central location to a spot closer to the sea.

The hotel is located on 11.5 hectares, so the land is big enough for them to survive according to the principles of sufficiency. They make their own compost and grow their own vegetables. Everything, from the land to the hotel, is proudly managed in Thai style, according to Thai customs, and this makes Tongsai Bay distinctly different from all the large hotels and international operators nearby.

"Our hotel cannot compete totally with big hotels, but we have a history of 20 years, our own private beach, our brand name and our people," Thanakorn says. He believes customers and staff should always be happy together, rather than being rigidly apart.

For almost 10 years, Thanakorn and Goya have been running Tongsai Bay without hiring outside hotel experts. Thanakorn is responsible for marketing while Goya takes care of the internal administration. In fact, Goya says she is working her way through all departments because she wants to learn how to do it all.

The promotional value that has arisen from the couple's so-called Green Project cannot be underestimated. Late last year, Thanakorn made headlines when he donated pieces of land covering more than 800 hectares on Koh Samui to local authorities, for community use and as reserves for animals and plants. But rather than being an isolated act, helping their local community has been something to which Thanakorn and Goya have been dedicated for more than five years.

Goya says the Green Project began when the hotel was being renovated. Outside contractors left waste and garbage near the hotel and a member of the hotel's staff set fire to it without thinking. The smoke and smell disturbed nearby villagers, who promptly demanded that the hotel take more responsibility for its actions. Briefly, Thanakorn and Goya were visited by the darker side of running a big business in the heart of a small community.

So the Green Project was born, and since then Tongsai Bay has won an environmental award from the Great Initiatives for Today's (Tomorrow's) Society, and has won the Green Planet Award for 2007 and 2008 from the travel group Kuoni in Switzerland.

Tongsai Bay is an ecological sanctuary with zero tolerance for hunting or deforestation. The resort is home to more than 50 kinds of birds and other wild animals. Biodegradable materials and products are used throughout the property, no chemicals are used to kill insects outdoors and leaves are collected to make fertiliser for the garden. Plastic and other garbage is collected and taken away for recycling on the mainland.

Thanakorn and Goya started using natural products in the hotel and soon made it an important policy. Paper bags are used instead of plastic bags. Liquid soup comes in boxes with no containers made of glass. Food coverings must be made of natural material.

As well, the couple issued rules of preservation covering all animals living on the property, including snakes, rats, mosquitoes, rabbits, birds and butterflies. The rules also cover plant life.

"One of our rules is to stop hiring anyone who kills animals. If injured animals are found, they are taken to hospital immediately," Goya says. "Despite having graduated in computer information systems, I find myself working with animals and the environment."

All staff are required to help the hotel save energy by turning off air conditioning as guest rooms are cleaned. They "help" guests by turning the machines off when the guests forget to do so.

"We are making the hotel fit in with nature, so that guests can find animals around. Sometimes they run out screaming, saying a rat has run into their room. Some of them cancel the room and find another hotel for the rest of their vacation," Thanakorn says, adding that visitors should read Tongsai Bay's rules before making reservations.

He gives the following advice as a working philosophy: "Find yourself; immerse yourself in your work while learning about the nature of the work. You will get a different product."

Goya has a practical working philosophy: "Always be honest and fair to others and to yourself. Be ready to adapt to both changes and new people, and be willing to accept that you can be wrong."

Suchat Sritama

 The Nation