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HOTELS Interview: In the director’s den

He turned the expansive library at Trisara Phuket into a “Director’s Den” (D-Den), a studio lounge equipped with the latest equipment and manned by an in-house team of professional producers and digital artists to help guests tell their holiday story through photo, video or even virtual reality (VR) formats.

It’s a service innovation, as most people do not have the time, expertise and resources to master the art of producing top-quality photo, video or VR keepsakes. Plus, most people today do not just want to consume content, they want to create it, he pointed out.

But the D-Den is also a sales and marketing innovation: invariably, photos, videos and virtual reality are made to be shared – these days widely on social media – and what a powerful word-of-mouth that is, with the resort actually controlling the quality of the production by offering such a service.

Meet the young hotel owner, Kitt Pattamasaevi, son of Narong Pattamasaevi, chairman of Montara Hospitality Group which owns Trisara Phuket. Kitt graduated Cum Laude from Columbia University with a bachelor of science in operations research in 2008. He first joined Montara as business development director, left to pursue his MBA at Harvard Business School and is now back at Montara with new ideas as its group vice president of sales and marketing.

HOTELS spoke with Pattamasaevi about how young owners, such as himself, view hotel innovation.

Kitt Pattamasaevi
Kitt Pattamasaevi

HOTELS: Why the D-Den?

Kitt Pattamasaevi: We have a lot of guests for whom storytelling is important. Our clients from every single market are now younger. Four years ago, their average age typically was 50 years, today it’s 42 years. As well, we have developed new markets such as China and Korea, and these markets comprise younger people, mostly honeymooners, so we have to find ways to engage them.

Younger people take selfies, love to share their holiday memories, but often don’t have the time or patience to do so in a compelling way. So we provide them the solutions: if they just want someone to identify the most instagrammable spots at Trisara, we get a buddy to accompany them. If they want to rent equipment and not use their own phone, we have Go Pro (cameras) for them to shoot their footage. They can then select one of the storyboards which we have prepared and, with the help of our dedicated producers, direct how the story unfolds and in what format – movie, digital or VR. We even have done destination footages they can add, so they don’t have to waste time capturing, say, a sunset or a hermit crab in the sand.

For special moments, such as proposals, VR is so much more engaging than photos or videos. They can almost relive every moment in 360 degree – it’s as close as being there when someone watches it.

H: How did you come up with this idea?

KP: We are still today a single property brand, even though we have plans to grow. And even though Trisara is very established (the resort celebrated its 10th anniversary last year) and is high end, we’re still a David versus Goliath story. We face seemingly insurmountable forces; our bargaining power is reduced with meta search engines, OTAs and wholesalers wanting more commissions, retailers wanting more exclusive deals. Single properties don’t have deep pockets to promote themselves, so traditionally the way they compete is to delight guests in ways larger hotels cannot, and letting guests tell these experiences.

So for small independent hotels, word-of-mouth is key, has always been, but today it is a question of using new channels like social media. We see Facebook for example going into video and supporting VR, so it’s a natural evolution. We just want people to keep telling their stories but now in a format they are engaged with.

Pool villa at Trisara Phuket
Pool villa at Trisara Phuket

H: I suppose it takes young owners such as yourself to come with ideas such as the D-Den?

KP: We’re lucky that we have experienced veterans Anthony Lark (who opened the hotel and recently came back as GM) and Bill Black (president of Montara) to guide us and make sure the standards are tops. Bill always tells me, Kitt, if we have to advertise to get people talking about Trisara, instead of having them talking about it themselves, then we are in trouble. So the idea has not changed; it is about doing it in a new format.

I guess for a lot of companies, it would make sense to keep doing the same thing and innovate incrementally, the mentality being if it’s not broken, why fix?
But today, so many disruptions are coming up so quickly. Airbnb’s valuation is larger than the traditional global hotel chains. The tendency is to feel the disrupters are only going after the low-end market. Most people said that luxury hotels don’t have to worry because Airbnb is only going after backpackers. It is not.

H: Do you worry about Airbnb?

KP: Not immediately, but we have to think strategically for the mid and longterm. A lot of companies are now already using Airbnb for business travel. Once it becomes mainstream for luxury travel, a lot of independent hotels will be in hot seat. That means the pressure for us to innovate.

H: What are the areas you feel hotels such as yours should innovate?

KP: Traditionally, we’ve always said the hotel business is about putting bums into beds. I personally feel with new substitutes such as Airbnb, innovations need not be focused on  the accommodation aspects, they should be on the areas where you can make the property a destination in itself. If you are seen as a place people go to sleep, then it becomes just a question of how much the guest is willing to pay, and in this, you compete with players like Airbnb that has rooms just as large, probably newer, competitive in location, but better priced.

So, Trisara just has to continue to be a destination in itself, for whatever reason. It could be culinary, for instance. Hotel renovation happens every five years but culinary innovations actually can happen more frequently. Here at Trisara, we introduce new ideas Phuket has never seen before monthly.
Today’s travellers also care about health and wellness, so the spa isn’t just a pampering place. We need to innovate it such that it can offer a holistic experience. When the treatment ends, the guest keeps to a healthier diet, keeps his mind at peace with meditation, for example.

H: Where do you get your inspiration from?

KP: We look at what our competitors do, but that’s more for the tactical promotions and creative packages. As Trisara already has one of the highest rates in Phuket, we have to look outside for inspiration. Our culinary series, for example, looks to fast fashion, which is seasonal and current.

We even look at unlikely places like Ikea. Though it’s not a luxury brand, it is innovative. Actually its concept of labour of love plays a part in the idea for D-Den. Guests are asked to put together the furniture, but most are happy to do so because of the low price point, it’s fun and they are engaged in the overall experience. If they create, they are vested into the final outcome. We have to think outside the box and look to other industries that move faster.

H: Which chains impress you as being innovative?

KP: There are a number of them. I’m impressed by the courage of chains such as Citizen M or Soho House from the perspective of how they take control and acquire their customers. I look after sales and marketing and it’s tough when you have to rely on powerful distributors, but these guys somehow are able to do it their way; you can book only directly with them. This gives the rest of the brands something to aspire to. It’s best if you take control of distribution and not rely on a third party as it cannot be as passionate about your property as you are.

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