Nanthaporn Amornpairoj (Jenny) – Assistant General Manager of the Royal Paradise Hotel & Spa

Phuketindex is honoured to chat with a ‘new generation’ business person, a working women, a young blood local business tycoon. Khun Nantaporn Amornpairoj also known as Jenny who works at Royal Paradise Resort & Spa in the role of Assistant General Manager. She also helps manage her family’s automobile business Siam Nissan A.R. Co., Ltd. Jenny shares her story, lifestyle and thoughts with us.

Please tell us about your background
I got a bachelor’s degree from the Accounting Department at Chulalongkorn University and later decided to continue my Master’s in Hotel Management as this would help me to run my family’s business which is hospitality. This year is my fourth working at the hotel.

What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?
I think if we get up early we’ll have time to do more. It also means more preparing time for any work I’m dealing with. I think good preparation leads us closer to a perfect outcome. When I see satisfying results from my efforts, I’m very happy and this is what pushes me forward. Getting up early allows me to have more time for my family as well.

What’s your favorite quote?
It’s part of Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech where he tells graduates “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” We never know how much time we have left in our lives so there’s no reason not to follow our heart. Sometimes what you think might be different from others. Just don’t let their opinions draw you out from your own inner voice. We should insist on our intention and pave our way to our own goal. I agree with Jobs and this is what I’m holding on to for a long time. I’m a ‘new generation’ person who has stepped in to work with other senior colleagues. Sometimes our opinions are not the same but if I think doing so will improve our organization, I will insist and bring changes for the better and I believe that the (subsequent) outcome will make everyone happy.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?
My inspiration in everything, no matter if it’s in my life or work, has been my parents. As for work, my parents started from nothing and now we have a family business and many staff members to take care of. I can see their spirit and dedication in it all the way through. I see how they have been taking care of the staff and see them as part of their family and many of our staff have been working with us for over 10 years. As for living, my parents live an ordinary life. To me they are a good sample for living a ‘sufficient’ life following the philosophy suggested by our beloved H.M. King Bhumibol. In other ways, my parents also show me how to be a perfect couple. It’s so simple – the way they take care of each other.

How do you generate new ideas?
I’m lucky that I’m surrounded by a good team. Often my ideas come after I’ve talked to my colleagues and staff members on every level. To be able to touch and talk to people is in my character and I often get new ideas from workers who spend lots more time with the guests than I can.

If you worked in a restaurant, what role would you like?
If I had to work in a restaurant I’d like to be a ‘food runner’ – a person who coordinates and liaises between the kitchen and the wait staff. In a banquet situation the food runner is the key person who coordinates each team. The position might be overlooked by others but I think if we didn’t have them, the event or the guests’ dining experience might not be as good. I think this seemingly tiny function plays an important role in the whole system that makes up a restaurant.

What are your hobbies?
I like to travel though actually after I started working it’s been quite difficult for me to do that due to my responsibilities. But I still believe that travelling is very important for people who work in the hotel industry. Travel opens up your world; you meet a lot of people from different places and it helps you learn and understand people with preferences other than yours. It helps you improve your service capabilities. Traveling also works like a detox for me and a relief from work… it helps recharge my batteries and makes me come back with positive energy. If you asked me about the destination I like the most, I’d say it would be Barcelona, Spain. The architecture is very beautiful and unique while the locals are also nice and helpful and the cost of living is acceptable there.

What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is to see my parents happy. They’ve been taking care of me all my life and I’d love to share their burdens, to help them take care of our business, and spend quality time with them like dining out and traveling together. That’s enough for me.

Where you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years, I would like to make the Royal Paradise rank among the very first workplaces people would choose to be in. I’d love to make people in our big ‘family’ happy and then to expand the happiness into the local community in which we live. I believe that businesses cannot just grow alone without helping others and that good ethics are as important as academic matters and that development in both aspects is needed to build up a child in order to make this society better.