Felix - the fortunate

February 20, 1998 by Michael Swart
Filed under Resort Staff, Royal Wing and Spa

by Elfi

Felix Grieder, Manager of the Royal Wing, considers himself very lucky. Why lucky? “Because up to now, I have managed to get almost everything I wanted in life,” he admits. Looking at his beaming face, it’s easy to believe.

He has worked at the Royal Wing since September 1996 when he came to Pattaya for the first time. He came to Thailand on holiday in 1992, but at that time he only visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui.

Why not Pattaya? “Because I found mainly offers for the other places in Thailand and didn’t know much about Pattaya,” Felix explains.

Why he is now in Pattaya? “It’s all because of Mr. Faßbind from the Royal Cliff. After I came back from my vacation to Thailand, I saw some articles in Swiss magazines about him and his life. It sounded so exiting and interesting, I immediately sent him an application. Mr. Faßbind contacted me and we had a meeting in Zurich during one of his visits to Switzerland. This meeting was very successful and Mr. Faßbind wanted me to start immediately. To my regret I had to decline, for I was still bound in a contract in Switzerland. We came to the agreement that Mr. Faßbind would contact me again after my contract was finished, which he did in March 1996. This time, the timing was right and I took the chance to work at the Royal Wing.”

Felix smiles and shakes his head in surprise. “You know, this man is amazing. He remembers everything. At our last meeting he described Pattaya, the way to the Cliff and the Royal Cliff hotels so exactly, when I arrived it was like a deja vu. I immediately felt at home; the hotels and the gardens were so prepossessing, really beautiful. September was exactly the right time to start. Enough time to take over from former Manager Susi and to get ready for the high season. I never regretted taking this job.”

Landing a job in the hotel business has been his dream since he was a small child. Due to his father’s position, the family had to travel a lot and therefore had to spend a lot of time in hotels. Little Felix loved it. After finishing school he began to work in a small 3-star family hotel. He wanted to attend a hotel management school, but the one in Lausanne, one of the best in the world, had a long waiting list. While waiting to get accepted he worked at Seiler Hotels, a chain with a hundred year old tradition in their 5 star hotel in Zermatt.

Seiler Hotels have many houses in Switzerland, most of them located in winter sports centers, and it is a very good place to start working in the business. After Felix finished hotel management school he changed to another 5 star hotel with 350 rooms to become the food & beverage manager. This was a great challenge for him.

“My bosses there were very strict, but correct and fair. Of course, during the learning process, people will make a few mistakes. My bosses always criticized me in a constructive way and this helped me a lot. I am still very thankful for that.”

From snowy Switzerland he went to hot South Africa to work with a big chain and to get some experiences abroad. His position there was a kind of trouble-shooter in Durban, Capstadt and Johannesburg.

“I had to take on all the positions which were on fire,” Felix says. “It was very interesting and I learned everything one can think of, but it was also quite exhausting.”

After 1 1/2 years ‘trouble shooting’ and ‘fire extinguishing’ he went back to Switzerland to work with Seiler Hotels again, as Assistant to the Director.

He’s always enjoyed golf and since he has been in Pattaya, he plays a lot. It’s no problem for him to get up very early in the mornings for that. “It is so beautiful to see the sun rising on the sky, all the pain of getting up so early is forgotten.”

Why does he like to play golf so much? “It is very easy to explain. First of all, this sport is quite inexpensive in Thailand compared to Europe. Almost everybody can afford it here. The second reason is that I love nature. Flowers, trees, animals - everything that has to do with Fauna and Flora. Give me a garden and I am the happiest man on earth. Playing golf, one is always outside and we have around Pattaya extremely beautiful golf courses. Believe me, I know, I have been traveling around in many countries, all over Europe, Africa, America, the Maldives and Asia.”

He adds, “I also like wind surfing and snorkeling and here in Pattaya we have a great opportunity to do them.”

When asked if he has other hobbies, Felix admits that actually ‘his’ hotel is his biggest hobby, for it takes almost all of his time. But he just loves to do the ‘job’. “If somebody commits himself to do something, he’s got to do it whole-heartedly and he must have fun while doing so, or else he better leave. I really love my work and I am happy about all the experiences I have here.”

“Sometimes it is so amusing what people tell you. One time, a Belgian customer, who worked for the Russian government and was considered a special guest, tried to sell me a submarine. First I thought he only wanted to explain to me how such a thing is built, until he told me that for the price of one billion 200 million Baht I would get a pocket-submarine (25 m length). Now, all my friends tease me by asking where my submarines are parked.”

Talking about his plans, he says, “We have 84 suits and 2 presidential suites. Last year we started to renovate the rooms. 1/3 is done. This year we will achieve the second third, and next year the rest. The lobby will be renovated until end of July. By doing all this work, I have the standard of the hotel in mind. It is very important to keep it up, since 80% of our clients are regulars. Many of them get the same room every year, even the same pool bed, marked with their names and placed on their preferred spot. All of our regulars are given a bunch of orchids when they leave, not to mention the flowers and the fruit baskets at their arrival.”

Felix’s involvement in his hotel is very impressive. One can see he still has the right motivation to carry on until …until what? Felix laughs. “That’s what I call investigating people. My contract here is still on until the end of next year and then we’ll see. My dream for the future, near or far, is to have my own hotel in Switzerland on lake Geneva, where I was born and raised. I also have a house nearby in Montreux. This would be very convenient for me.”

Right now, hotels are closing everywhere and especially in this area for economical reasons. Yet Felix just flashes another smile. “If it doesn’t work out in the very near future, I have all the hope that someday I will reach my target. As I have told you, until now I’ve got everything I wanted in life. My motto always is: You can lose a battle, but you must win the war.”