The managing director of Sri Panwa and Baba Beach Club tells us what he loves about travelling and hospitality
Vorasit “Wan” Issara may come from a line of developers—his father is real estate mogul Songkran Issara, and his grandfather is Charn Issara, of Thailand-based real estate developing firm Charn Issara Group—but he always knew that his calling was in hospitality. While the enterprising hotelier is now the managing director of family-owned five-star luxury resort Sri Panwa, Wan didn’t simply step into the role from privilege.
“My family believes in hard work. I had to experience life from the lower levels of the employment chain and work my way up, so I appreciate the work all jobs require,” he shares.
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“I worked at restaurants, clubs and bars for two and a half years when I was in Florida and Lucerne, where I studied business management and hotel management.”
It was during his studies at the DCT International School of Hotel & Business Management in Switzerland where he met a close-knit group of friends who now manage Sri Panwa with him. Wan’s debut project and brainchild, the resort came into fruition after when he proposed the project in 2005.
“(After studying the market) I decided that Sri Panwa, had to be a resort of a small number of luxury villas and not a high-rise of building of 300 units. I didn’t see myself in direct competition with the old guard resorts here in Phuket. I wanted to have something unique to offer and I think we accomplished that.”
