Lifetime Achievement Award for Thanpuying
Chanut Piyaoui
Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, Founder and Honorary
Chairperson of Dusit International, one of Thailand’s foremost
hotel and property development companies, has received the
prestigious SHTM Lifetime Achievement Award from the School of
Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University (PolyU).
Established in 2016, SHTM’s annual
awards are designed to honour outstanding personalities who have
contributed substantially to the development of hospitality and
tourism. This year,
the recipient was selected in accordance with the theme
‘Celebration of Women in Leadership.’
Thanpuying Chanut, now 97 years old,
established Dusit International in 1948 and opened her first
property in Bangkok, Princess Hotel, in 1949. It was one of the
first properties in the city to feature a swimming pool, an
elevator, and air conditioning.
Determined to open a
five-star hotel offering luxury hospitality with a distinctively
Thai touch, in 1970 she achieved this aim with the opening of the
flagship Dusit Thani Bangkok – then the city’s tallest, grandest
building – which has been a true icon ever since.
Building
on the success of this property, Thanpuying Chanut opened more
five-star hotels in major tourism destinations in Thailand and
overseas, and branched out into hotel and culinary education with
the Dusit Thani College in 1993, and Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary
School, a joint venture with Le Cordon Bleu, in 2007.
For
her efforts in hospitality and related education, on 5 May 2000
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand conferred upon Ms
Piyaoui the highest royal decoration for a civilian: Knight Grand
Commander (Second Class, Higher Grade) of the Most Illustrious
Order of Chula Chom Klao. And with this, the right to bear the
title “Thanpuying”, the equivalent of “Dame”.
“Throughout her life my mother has worked tirelessly, and
unselfishly, to promote and develop Thailand’s tourism industry
overall, and she is delighted and honoured to be recognised with
this prestigious award,” said her son, Mr Chanin Donavanik, Vice
Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Dusit
International. “Since opening her
first hotel 70 years ago, my mother has always believed in Asia’s
potential to become the epicenter of the tourism and travel
industry, and she is delighted that, in the SHTM, we have a
kindred spirit in Hong Kong which not only shares these
sentiments, but whose dedication to developing young talent
mirrors our own values and efforts in Southeast Asia.”
Mr
Chan Tze-ching, Chairman of the PolyU Council, said, “Our awardee,
Thanpuying Chanut, is a legend and pioneer in her industry. Her
exemplary accomplishments have not only played an important role
in raising the level of the regional and global hospitality business but also helped transform it through a distinctively
Asian focus. Throughout the years, she has contributed
generously to charitable causes and royal projects, in both
personal and professional capacities. Thanpuying Chanut provides a
truly inspirational role model, demonstrating to practitioners
around the world what can be achieved with foresight, tenacity,
and a giving heart, while being an especially significant figure
to women in this region.”
Previous winners of the SHTM
Lifetime Achievement Award include Mr Adrian Zecha, founder of
ASIA Travel Trade magazine as well as Aman Resorts, and the Honourable Sir Michael Kadoorie.
Subscribe to our
Travel Industry News RSS
Feed . To do
that in Outlook, right-click the RSS Feeds
folder, select Add a New RSS Feed, enter the URL of our
RSS Feed which is: https://www.travelnewsasia.com/travelnews.xml
and click Add. The feed can also be used to add the headlines to your
website or channel via a
customisable applet. Have questions? Please read our
Travel News
FAQ. Thank you.