The story about hotelier, come tech startup entrepreneur, Alexander Parry (Alex), and Let’s Hyde resort, takes us on a journey that spans several continents; including making it the land of opportunities; the USA. The way this Swede educated himself and learned the hospitality trade in North America – prior to ending up in Thailand for a continued career as hotelier – is the stuff of dreams. And after being in various hotel management and operations for 20+ years, Alex has eventually become a hotel co-owner – a new adventure which has so far also meant having to survive the Covid-19 closure of air travel, before eventually experiencing brighter days. Thanks to a bit of luck, combined with a great sense for location in taking over a Pattaya-based resort, the business in hospitality is now thriving.
As is often the case with expats employed in hotels, Alex is one of those hoteliers who have worked for international chains. And in his case, there has been no particular Scandinavian focus. Working in hotel management also means long working days, and, in this regard, Alex has not been an exception.
And when the right opportunity presented itself to establish and run an own resort, it also meant an opportunity to obtain more freedom while pursuing also other business interests.
Learning the trade in the U.S.
His hospitality career was by then – in 2017 – already significant, and that actually began with ten years in the United States. Thanks to that his father had dual citizenship, including the U.S, Alex had the opportunity as a young Swede to move across the Atlantic – which he did, and got himself a green card. And what was evidently also possible back then, was to get a hotel job without having any hospitality education – and undergo on-the-job training to gradually climb in the ranks. At least this is what Alex did managed to do, by learning the different positions hands-on. And what a hotel career start it was – working in Beverly Hills and for no other employer than the prestigious Four Seasons brand!
“Having worked as assistant store manager at a large Swedish department store I left Sweden for the U.S, and when I was driving around in Beverly Hills, I spotted the Regent Beverly Wilshire – the hotel from the Pretty Woman movie, positioned right at the centre of Rodeo Drive! Entering the hotel to have a look made me impressed, so on the spot I decided to look for a job there. And based on my previous customer service experience they hired me for a front desk job. And that is how my hotel journey started as a 24-year-old!” Alex begins.
“At that time the U.S (especially L.A) was so impressive because they had the all the iconic brands in terms of the dining industry, fashion etc. – things that one could then not experience then at the same level back home in Sweden. Also, at the time, Beverly Hills was the Crème de la crème of luxury – and probably still is today, but was even more so then. And for a young man it was certainly jaw-dropping,” he remembers.
“It’s a beautiful landmark hotel, which had lots of famous guests at the time; in 1996. Later I also worked for Four Seasons Beverly Hills, And I was also part of the Four Seasons Las Vegas opening, which was another good experience.”
“I started at the front desk, and I got to learn about that, and continued in the same way with on-the-job training while working. And every time I swopped position, I changed for an upward opportunity, so by the time I came to New York I became a reservations manager.”
“I worked the for the New York Palace also known as, ’Old Helmsley Hotel’, a luxury hotel, [now officially called the Lotte New York Palace Hotel], with 900 rooms located in Midtown Manhattan. And there I was an assistant manager, which was kind of a higher role than front desk manager, and became night manager. And it was hard work, being super busy all the time, and with constant phone calls from guest rooms expecting top notch service. And with things not very digital back then my work was basically about managing the front office department and dealing with bellmen, housekeeping and managing guest complaints. It was very lively.” Alex recalls his experience from this first five-star hotel in NYC’s history.
“And at that time, I realised that I was doing a good job. And from there, my boss moved on to Millennium Copthorne in New York – asking me to come along. Then I became hotel manager for the Premier Hotel, which is basically a separate wing of the Millennium And with that position my career within hotels in the Western world ends. My life was just work.”
The appeal of Thailand
Instead, Asia was calling. Alex had been over to Thailand on holiday – and discovered something else, a different and overall appealing lifestyle.
“I had been here on holiday at the time, and through conversations I heard more about all the advantages. Especially, it seemed appealing to me with a lower cost of living, high quality of life and all of that stuff.”
“And I learned that working in the hotel industry in Asia meant getting a great experience. And Thailand is of course famous for its hospitality. And let’s face it: it’s an opportunity to grow faster in your career. And with my experiences from in particular the U.S, and five-star hotels, I thought that maybe there could be an interest in someone with my profile.”
One General Manager gave Alex a good advice: that it would be easier to get a job on site. “So, I decided to pack my bags and came here. And I got myself an interview with Amari at the time – and my first job, for Amari at Don Muang Airport. There I became number two in the hotel.”
He then worked for Amari (which became Onyx) for a few years, including a stint in Pattaya. Later he got is first General Manager position, for Le Fenix hotel, Sukhumvit soi 11.
Following on that, Alex became Hotel Manager for the 423-room Novotel Siam Square and GM for two more Novotel postings followed on that, before he became Operations Manager for a BMH Asia.
Realising a hideaway dream
Another juncture however occurred: an opportunity to take over a resort had materialised, and this indeed led to a big decision for Alex.
“I had always wanted to be involved in a resort – as an owner – and a particular lead really seemed like the ultimate chance to do so.”
Alex and some of his Thai friends had already been talking about finding a hotel. “It’s about who you know and what comes your way. And my friends who are in industries related to hospitality knew my track record by now in running hotels. They too saw the interesting investment opportunity – to take over this particular, and unique type of, 86-room resort in northern Pattaya,” the Swede elaborates.
“With some refurbishment at a fairly low cost we could get it operational again. And the hotel’s attractiveness was that it offered this tropical oasis and nature like no other resort in the area. I had also worked in the vicinity before for Amari and knew that there was certain demand there, where we could position the hotel at a nice, competitive level.”
“We’re not a budget hotel, but also not a four-star as such, nor are we luxury; but sort of in between somewhere,” adds Alex. “As a resort, we fit into an interesting space in terms of quality; We’re basically good enough to attract guests that sometimes stay in luxury, and we are budget enough to appeal to cost-savers.”
Following the renovations they named the resort ‘Let’s Hyde’: “So, it’s a playing with words and having something catchy. It refers to “Let’s hide”, but with a different spelling, like in Hyde Park. And some people look at it and think: ‘Hey, ‘hide’ isn’t spelled with a ‘y’, and that alone in fact makes it more memorable and visually appealing. And people can also play with the fact that it’s a hideaway; that is a hideaway from other larger hotels, where guests have to be part of crowds of people. And it’s actually also a hideaway from a nowadays busy city – and in a nice, tropical and relaxing setting,” Alex elaborates.
Bright outlook
And how Alex and his co-investors – aside from having to survive the for many businesses devastating Covid-19 lockdown – has hit the jackpot in terms of the location! And this is something that started happening more recently in a positive way – beyond what could have been anticipated: the rapid and qualitative development of the surrounding area called Na Kluea!
First of all, there were already several high-quality hotels in North Pattaya and many quality restaurants and delis lining the main street outside the side street that houses Let’s Hyde. And then came the new shopping and entertainment centre Terminal 21 with Grand Center Point Pattaya, followed by Grand Center Point Pattaya Space as their second hotel – actually placed next to the lush resort – and which really set off a ripple effect of additional development (which had earlier focused on the Wongamat area, slightly further north, where there are also multiple five-star beachfront hotels).
“Naklua was always popular in certain markets, especially among Germans. And now some additional top end hotels, a new lifestyle centre, more high-quality restaurant options, as well as residential projects are opening up in the area. You can now come to Pattaya and spend your entire visit in this area. It has grown increasingly popular, and is probably the most favourable destination within Pattaya for many travellers.”
Near the resort, the beach area north of Beach Road is also attractive, offering seaside bars and dining – both high- and low end in terms of options.
“The future for Na Kluea is definitely looking to upscale quite a bit. So, the outlook looks pretty bright for the area. Those who want to have a little bit more relaxation and quiet beaches might go to Jomtien and a bit further away. Na Kluea is kind of a mixture with the best of both worlds, so to speak.”
“Also, we have a mixture of guests from within the Asia region, including locals, and visitors from Central Europe and Germany, which I find very interesting and healthy, and as I like diversification.”
So, at Alex’s hideaway guests can hide away from the busy city that is just on its doorstep: “The hotel has this tropical oasis and nature like no other.”
Uniqueness in more ways than one
And that uniqueness is further enhanced by the fact that the resort’s very old and huge trees constitute a habitat for the very fascinating, and nocturnal, Thai fruit bat. In the day they can be seen from below, resting upside-down high up in the trees, which is in itself a fascinating and unexpected encounter with nature – not least given the location, where something like that is a rare sight. During night time they are out feeding.
Situated in lush nature, Let’s Hyde thus have everything for a true jungle feeling, thinks Alex: “It’s like if you’re on an island when you’re at the hotel, but in fact you’re just five minutes away from the city centre. So that’s an oasis island feeling, and it’s really what Thailand is all about. And we are not pretentious; you don’t need to come here dressed up in beach fashion. You can look good, but you’ll totally blend in regardless of outfit. In fact, many bloggers come here to take photos for social media. But we also have guests purely into being laidback and casual.”
As another quite unique feature the resort also houses the Caravan restaurant, with Central Asian food, including Uzbek Ukrainian as well as Russian cuisine, (and is therefore a popular destination for visitors from those countries).
The resort also caters nicely to today’s travellers who often need to get things done and communicate via their digital devices. And at this resort this can be done poolside – where daybed is equipped with its own fan, power plug and USB port.
Being the appointed manager, Alex is often on site at the resort – while he also spends time on developing various marketings solutions for hospitality.
“I left my corporate hotel career as such, to dedicate more time to the hotel venture, and turn it profitable. And what this has also allowed me to do was to focus on my own business and various products and services being developed – as a passion of mine. I realised that I don’t need to be at the resort all the time, so it’s a great opportunity to also do other projects, such as taking my other business interests further.”
Guests to Let’s Hyde will therefore come across multiple new services relating to the guest experience, as the resort also functions as a test bed for Alex’s interesting and promising work, including LetsOrderIt for simple menus, guest requests and small orders. Across ventures, his focus stays the same: building tools and spaces where people can connect, share, and grow.
“So, at Let’s Hyde we are mixing the latest in hospitality-driven tech with charm and nature.”
