How the Peninsula Bangkok Hotel Wins My Heart and Wallet Share. (Episode 1)

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗼𝗸 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 (𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟭)

Like many frequent travellers, I am very selective of my “home away from home”. With a growing number of hotel options, it can be a difficult decision. However, when it comes to Bangkok, The Peninsula Hotel is my “Go-to” without hesitation. There are many reasons to fall in love with this tranquil oasis - the panoramic river-view swimming pool, the ultra-fresh and delicious buffet selection, and the nostalgic Peninsula boat commute on the River of Kings just to name a few. What has really brought us back four times over the last twelve months though, 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦, 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫. I had the opportunity to chat with Joseph Sampermans General Manager of the hotel to learn more about the Peninsula’s recipe behind curating memorable client experiences. Here are my five key takeaways:

- 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Peninsula has been a family-owned hotel group for over 150 years. They are amongst the few hotel businesses that also own the properties - it symbolizes the long-term commitment to every project they invest in. Joseph talked about how important it is for Peninsula to 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆. Constantly focusing on doing what’s right for the employees and customers is a key value that sets Peninsula apart. Over the pandemic period when the tourist business suffered significantly, I heard from multiple hotel staff about how grateful they were for the generosity of the hotel in supporting them in making a living.

- 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀: One of the core Peninsula values is 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. In the Peninsula hotel, they offer compelling staff remuneration, thoughtful facilities and wellness programmes. On a regular basis, there are fun staff tournaments to encourage cross-department bonding. Because of this, over half of the employees have been in service for five years and above, and a quarter of them have over ten years of experience. The long-service staff play a crucial role in passing the skill set, culture and values to any newcomers.