Originally from Lyon, the third largest city in France, Matt, as everyone calls him, comes to Amari Hua Hin with over 18 years’ experience in the hospitality industry
Matt’s vast background includes luxury resorts, airport hotels, hotel management companies, and ski resorts, where he has gained extensive knowledge and experience and held several key management positions. As a teenager, Matt wanted to be a ski instructor but ended up working in the kitchen at the Hôtel Le Christina in Alpe d’Huez. From there he studied at the Vatel Business School for Hotel and Tourism Management and after his graduation, got offered a job at the Novotel Heathrow in London as the Assistant Night Manager, where his passion for the hotel industry began to take shape.
With a strong background in operations and management as well as international experience, Matt has certainly maximized his opportunities. England, French Polynesia, the USA, Malaysia, and Laos are just some of the countries he has held positions in, contributing not only to the success of the properties but to the local communities as well. One such instance was during his time spent in The Isle of Pines of New Caledonia where he served as the Purchasing Manager. Once every two weeks, a boat delivered supplies to the hotel and with only one small store on the island, being the Purchasing Manager proved to be a challenge but one that was overcome quickly and that brought about change to the local island community.
“The Isle of Pines, during my time there, was still a very remote and tribal island and people didn’t really think about ways to make money. One time, I was driving around with the executive chef of the hotel, and we saw a mango tree and a man just sitting next to it, with a lot of mangos just sitting there. And we went to see this guy and asked him if we could get some mangos and the man just gave them to us.
After that, we asked him whether we could buy a big bag of mangos, and he was very surprised by this as his thoughts were that the fruit just grows on the trees so why should he sell them? That was when we told him that we worked at a hotel and that we could buy his mangos. With that, the man was very happy and brought a big bag of mangos the next day and asked us whether we needed any other fruit, and of course, we said yes and started buying from him on a regular basis. More people came on board and started planting seeds and growing vegetables and before you know it, we were only purchasing fresh produce from the island and the local community,” said Matt.
Before he arrived in Hua Hin in early January, Matt spent the last eight years working in different countries in Southeast Asia. His dream to work and live here came to fruition when he was offered a position at Villa Maly in Luang Prabang, Laos, where he served as the Operations Manager of the former royal residence. In addition, he has held management positions at Twin Lotus Koh Lanta, Holiday Inn Resort Penang in Malaysia, Fusion Resort in Vietnam, and presently Amari Hua Hin. Located along the shores of Hua Hin beach, the Amari, which belongs to ONYX Hospitality, boasts 223 rooms, the Shoreline Beach Club, and a wealth of luxury amenities and facil iti es that make any discerning guest feel right at home.
Nowadays, General Managers need to juggle a wider range of tasks which require balance and a constant smile, both of which come naturally to Matt and his dynamic and hands-on approach to his passion. Matt is an avid half-marathon runner, has visited 24 countries, and has embarked on truly unique experiences including diving with sharks in Bora Bora in French Polynesia and dining in the jungle of Laos with the Kamu tribe. His passion for hospitality extends beyond ma nag ement which definitely shows in his desire to immerse himself in different cultures and experiences, while enriching the lives of those around him.
