Kurt Wachtveitl to retire
Mar 4, 2009 | 5:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Kurt Wachtveitl to retire
After 41 years at the helm of The Oriental Bangkok, GM Kurt Wachtveitl is finally retiring in May.
He will be succeeded by Jan Goessing, a hotel industry veteran who has spent the past 14 years with Mandarin Oriental in senior management positions throughout Asia and The Americas, including the Groups flagship hotel in Hong Kong.
Maybe now they will renovate the Author's Wing?
He will be succeeded by Jan Goessing, a hotel industry veteran who has spent the past 14 years with Mandarin Oriental in senior management positions throughout Asia and The Americas, including the Groups flagship hotel in Hong Kong.
Maybe now they will renovate the Author's Wing?
Mar 5, 2009 | 9:40 am
#3
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His retirement is bound to make many people I know happy, they never warmed up to Kurt (and viceversa).
Mar 5, 2009 | 12:12 pm
#4
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Interestingly he used to have an apartment on the top floor of the spa, but a couple of years ago, Mandarin asked him to leave and built an Ayurvedic suite up there instead.
No financial worries, I think.
Mar 5, 2009 | 1:00 pm
#5
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I thought that he must have been more than a standard GM for the MO Group or they'd have probably shuffled him around dozen or so of their hotels in 40 years.
Mar 5, 2009 | 3:08 pm
#6
Join Date: May 1999
Location: New York,NY USA
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This man is a legend and I have been staying at The Oriental for many years. Several years ago I had drinks with the GM of one of the very top hotels in Paris who told me he personally checked into The Oriental for three days and did nothing but take notes of ideas he could bring back to Paris. I will miss Kuhn Kurt.
Mar 5, 2009 | 10:46 pm
#7
In memoriam
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Finally, the service at The Oriental may improve. The Oriental, with its history, was a hotel i really looked forward to and was sorely disappointed by the poor service. In my books, The Oriental joins The Plaza Athenee and Le Bristol in Paris, and the Dorchester and Savoy in London which have/had stellar reputations but were very disappointing stays for me.
After my stay, I sent Mr. Wachveitl an e-mail with feedback and all I got back was a form letter in effect telling me too-bad-so-sad. Maybe I may now return to give them another chance.....
After my stay, I sent Mr. Wachveitl an e-mail with feedback and all I got back was a form letter in effect telling me too-bad-so-sad. Maybe I may now return to give them another chance.....
Mar 6, 2009 | 12:21 am
#8
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Mar 6, 2009 | 7:44 pm
#9
In memoriam
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Mar 7, 2009 | 9:00 am
#10
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Completely agree with you! I, too, have had frightful stays at The Oriental, Plaza Athenee, Le Bristol, The Dorchester, The Savoy London, Burj al Arab, Carlyle NY, Bel-Air LA, La Mamounia and numerous other hotels that are famous for being famous. FS George V is unique as it deserves to be famous.
Mar 8, 2009 | 6:29 pm
#11
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I had a short two nights stay in MO Bangkok last year and was rather pleased with the hotel and the services. Only concern I thought at that time was that they should have upgraded the Tv which I duely take note in my feedback form. It's a small issue so was pleasantly surprise that Mr Kurt wachtveitl bother to write back to thank me for my feedback and assured me that the upgrade is in progress. This is clearly a sign of a great hotel GM.