Royal visit to Royal Cliff

October 23, 1998 by Michael Swart
Filed under Our Guest

25th Anniversary Celebration and a Toast to Louis Fassbind

October 9, 1998 by Michael Swart
Filed under General News

Last weekend marked the Grand event in the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s 25 year anniversary celebrations. It also marked the opportunity for many of the famed hotel’s guests to publicly acknowledge the passing of Louis Fassbind, the man known as “Mr. Pattaya”.

The party goers certainly did come from all over the world. Notables from Denmark, Hungary, Russia, Holland, Spain, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore, Australia and New Zealand - it was difficult to find a country not represented.

Khun Panga celebrates with a very special guest, former Miss Universe Apasara Hongsakul.

From the cocktail party on the Thursday, to the dinner on the Friday and finally the glittering poolside party on the Saturday, many of the guests, longtime visitors to the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, could be seen looking over their shoulders perhaps touched by a large unseen spirit. According to Buddhist tradition there is a time “in waiting” after death and for many people Louis Fassbind’s touch could still be felt there.

Managing Director of the hotel, Khun Panga Vathanakul, in her welcoming speech stopped to pay tribute to this man, Louis Fassbind. As a memorial to his work, the Royal Cliff Beach Resort will become involved with the Fassbind Foundation to grant scholarships to young students attending hotel schools in Thailand. She then led the many hundreds of guests in a special toast to “…Our Absent Friend”. As many glasses were raised, many a quiet tear fell, but all felt better after such a public accolade from Khun Panga.

The final party was set beside the main pool, and Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Bhichai Rattakul expressed his and his government’s appreciation of the excellent way the Royal Cliff Beach Resort had progressed and been a leader in so many aspects of tourism for Pattaya. In fact, he claimed that the 25 year celebration was so important that it was the first weekend he had taken off since the new administration of the Kingdom came into power.

A stage show with dancing and music was followed by a breathtaking fireworks exhibition, which was itself enjoyed by all of Pattaya as the rockets exploded in a myriad of stars over the bay.

It certainly was a night to remember, and a night in which many people remembered Pattaya’s friend Louis Fassbind.

Congratulations Royal Cliff Beach Resort, you have weathered the storms of 25 years very well and we are all looking forward to your Golden Jubilee!

Original article by Pattaya Mail

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Tags: accolade, acknowledge, anniversary celebrations, anniversary_celebrations, australia, celebration, cert, cliff-beach, cocktail, cocktail party, deputy prime minister, eve, exhibition, famed_hotel, fassbind, fireworks, General News, holland, hong kong, hote, houlders, khun, lt, main pool, managing director, nbsp, New Zealand, notables, panga, pattaya, poolside, prime minister, rais, rat, resort, royal cliff, royal cliff beach, Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Royal-Cliff-Beach-Resort, royal_cliff_beach, ru, russia, singapore, th anniversary, thailand, tourism, tt, us, year

Celebrating a Silver Jubilee at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort

October 2, 1998 by Michael Swart
Filed under General News

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“From the very beginning we planned for a 650-room hotel and for a convention hall that could seat 1,200 people. When we told that to people, many thought we were crazy.”

A pioneering spirit shaped what has today become Thailand’s legendary Royal Cliff Beach Resort, recalls Khun Panga Vathanakul.

“Where the Royal Cliff Beach Resort now stands, was the cove where my sister and I used to swim during our visits to Pattaya,” she said. “We liked the bay because it was very beautiful and secluded. In those days, the water was crystal clear and you could see dolphins swimming in the bay.

It was during those years, from 1969 to the early seventies that Panga, her brother Prasert Futrakul, who was in construction, and brother-in-law Virachai Wongpanit, an architect, became convinced that they should build a hotel there.

“We all remarked that this place would be ideal for a beautiful hotel,” said Panga. “We were young and adventurous. And we all shared the strong belief that the hotel would work.”

“From the very beginning we planed for a 650-room hotel and for a convention hall that could seat 1,200 people. When we told that to people, many thought we were crazy. That was partly because our site was located far from the other handful of hotels which were all in North Pattaya.”

But Panga and her family were convinced the demand was there. “In those days, it was very difficult to find accommodation in Pattaya. There were only a few hotels then - the Nipa Lodge, the Orchid Lodge and Pattaya Palace. Pattaya was an exclusive beach resort in those days. His Majesty the King had a palace by the sea near the site of our hotel. Foreign tourists were beginning to come in sizeable numbers, along with many upper class Thais who also enjoyed coming to Pattaya. So the demand was growing and all the hotels did extremely well as there was a shortage of rooms. We knew we would be coming in at right time.”

“Our father introduced us to the group of people who owned the land we needed. The area was then a tapioca field but as the title deeds were broken into small plots, that took some effort. In the end, 100 rai was acquired. Then came the tough part. The construction itself was a massive under-taking.”

“We started from scratch because there was virtually nothing on Pratamnak Hill where the hotel was built. Moreover, we had to build our own reservoir, lay the pipes and construct our own roads,” she remembered. “In 1973, we opened the first phase of the hotel with 106 rooms at what is now the Cliff Terrace section of our hotel.”

“We had to plan to provide all essential services for the hotel ourselves,” said Panga. “We had to learn everything. For example, we had to learn about water treatment and we were the first to treat water and recycle it, using it in our gardens.”

“Many people said we were too ambitious to start the 650-room hotel. Today we have more than 1,000 rooms and we are currently constructing a convention facility that will accommodate nearly 6,000 people.”

“We are always aware that our staff help to convey the true spirit of Thai warmth and hospitality to our guests. We have guests who have been regular visitors for the last 25 years,” she said.

“Their opinions, and those of all our guests, are very important to us. Whilst we are always delighted with the many compliments we receive, we take all complaints very seriously.”

“The guest is our ultimate judge and one of the best guides as to how we should improve ourselves.”

Recipe for Success

From the beginning, Khun Panga Vathanakul wanted the Royal Cliff Beach Resort to be among the very best of hotels, whilst at the same time making guests feel at home.

“We wanted to provide modern facilities, in order to provide convenience and comfort to our guests, but we also wanted them to feel that they were staying in a home away from home,” she said.

“We also appreciated that people had different tastes and wishes. So we decided not to build one massive block to house the rooms. Instead, we designed four separate hotels, each with its own character and identity.”

“That way our guests could enjoy a much more personal feel when they stayed with us. It also meant that our staff would be able to provide a warm and personal service to our guests.”

Laying vital infrastructure

As tourism and investment in businesses grew in Pattaya, it became evident to Khun Panga Vathanakul that communication links needed urgent improvement for Thailand’s fastest growing town.

“Demand for international communication services from our overseas guests was rapidly increasing,” she recalls. “As a result, 20 years ago the Royal Cliff Beach Resort convinced the authorities to invest in the necessary equipment that allowed for direct long distance telephone calls to and from Pattaya.”

The Royal Cliff Beach Resort provided the much needed facilities.

The link-up changed forever the city’s position of importance as a business destination.

“The key to running a successful operation is really being able to provide what the customer wants,” she says. The telephone system transformed Pattaya from being a quiet beach resort into an internationally renowned city. This convinced many business, convention and incentive groups to come here.”

“Our pioneering work on the telephone system also allowed us to work closely with government officials and helped us to better understand the planning and implementation of infrastructure projects.”

25 years of service

“Like any business the customer - in our case the guest - is our ultimate judge.”

“Our guests usually identify our strengths as our beautiful resort environment, with lovely gardens and comfortable rooms and services from our friendly, professional staff.”

“We are always upgrading the hotel and we don’t want to wait until we get a complaint before acting. As professional hoteliers we should know to change the upholstery and carpets. That is an ongoing job.”

“We opened in 1973 and in a short time we were already riding the tourism boom. The Eighties were the boom times for tourism in Thailand and we were receiving guests from all over the world, from Europe, Japan and America.”

“Our VIP guests ranged from Hollywood celebrities to foreign dignitaries and monarchs.”

“We have been visited by Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew, members of Brunei’s royal families, the Swiss President and we were the first venue to hold the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.”

“As early as 1974, we had Roger Moore, Britt Ekland and Maud Adams as guests when they were making the film the Man with the Golden Gun.”

“But whoever the guest may be, the key to success is to treat everyone with the same care and attention and to make them feel at home.”

“Indeed, in looking back, we’ve had a rewarding and exciting 25 years,” said Khun Panga Vathanakul.

Original article by Pattaya Mail