ScandAsia Thailand - August 2016

AUG 2016
Sebastian Solasachinda
going strong and having
a SO creative hotel career
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A community event for Bangkok’s
international residents.
Explore all the possibilities
for a fun and healthy lifestyle.
September 10 th ,
9 am to 5 pm
21 st floor Conference Center,
Bumrungrad Clinic Building
Shuttle bus is available from
Nana BTS station exit 1.
www.bumrungrad.com/livinginbangkok

News Brief
AUG 2016
Sweden’s new Asia strategy confirmed
On 22 June Sweden adopted its new
strategy for regional development
cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa
and Asia and the Pacific Region for the period
2016–2021.
Regional development cooperation in Asia
and the Pacific Region will focus on strengthening
regional actors and states to take greater
responsibility concerning the environment and
climate, human rights, democracy and gender
equality. The focus is to be on cross-border
challenges, where solutions can best be sought in
regional cooperation.
“We focus regional development assistance
in Asia and the Pacific Region to the places in
the region facing the greatest challenges – in the
human rights area and with regard to the effects
of climate change and environmental damage,”
says Minister for International Development
Cooperation and Climate Isabella Lövin.
Asia and the Pacific Region will be hardest
hit by climate change. The effects are particularly
evident for small island states in the Pacific Ocean.
“We now have the opportunity to contribute
to strengthened regional cooperation on
adaptation, renewable energy and other matters.”
The new regional strategy amounts to
SEK 300 million per year. In total, the strategy
encompasses SEK 1800 million for the strategy
period.
Sebastian Solasachinda
going strong and having
a SO creative hotel career
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Swedish ambassador visits Khon Kaen, Isan
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The Swedish Ambassador in Bangkok,
Staffan Herrström, paid a visit to the
Northeastern province of Khon Kaen,
Thailand on 7-8 July 2016.
The Ambassador met with farmers from Baan
Na Ngam village, who would travel to Sweden
later in the month for a 10-week employment
in the berry-picking industry. The purpose of the
meeting was primarily to learn about their living
and working conditions in Sweden and also to
offer them an opportunity to raise any concern.
Then the ambassador held an informal
dialogue with staff of the Legal Center for Human
Rights to learn about their views on the political
and human rights situation in the Northeast.
He also paid a courtesy call on the Governor
of Khon Kaen, Mr. Gumtorn Thavornstit, with
whom he discussed possibilities to further
strengthen the Thai-Swedish relations, not least
related to business opportunities for Swedish
companies. The strong people-to-people ties
between the two countries were noted with
appreciation. The ambassador also shared with
the Governor his views on the importance
of ensuring freedom of expression, the role
that men need to play in eliminating violence
against women and the link between business
and human rights.
He also joined diplomats from Canada and
the UK to share their countries’ experiences
at a public forum on the theme freedom of
expression. Speaking of the Swedish experiences
starting with the first Freedom of the Press
Act 250 years ago, Ambassador Herrström
stressed that freedom of the press is not based
on Swedish or European but on global norms
and a core element of a democratic society. He
described the Swedish principle of public access
to official documents and how it is implemented
- and that right to information and freedom of
the press are some of the best tools to fight
corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement of
public resources.
Sorces: Ambassador Staffan Herrström, Swedish
Embassy in Bangkok
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News Brief
Scandinavian Business Seating highlights HAG Capisco
As people are returning from their annual
leave, Scandinavian Business Seating (SBS)
– a designer and producer of Scandinavian
designed office chairs – highlights the extraordinary
HAG Capisco chair from Norway, intended both for
the home and work environment.
Today’s workplace and advanced technology,
forces us to sit for countless hours every day. Those
who care about the health of their employees and
families and want to prevent future back issues from
sitting, you should explore the HAG Capisco chair!
“The original HAG Capisco chair is a design
classic that has been around for the last 32 years. As
the largest office chair manufacturer in Europe, the
HAG Capisco chair is still today the best- selling chair
under SB Seating, which is based on its unique design
and comfort that makes it a leader amongst chairs
worldwide,” says Henrik Meltesen, Regional Sales
Manager SEA, SB Seating.
“Comfort comes from movement and variation,
which HAG chairs inspire, better than any other chair
in the market, together with exceptional posture. In
addition, the HAG Capisco enables the user to work
at all heights and positions, which makes it the ideal
chair to use at height adjustable workstation.”
“On multiple occasions employees at companies
that use our chairs, contact us to purchase a chair to
maintain the same level of comfort when sitting at
home “ adds Henrik.
The HAG Capisco chair was designed by the
pioneering designer and artist Peter Opsvik in 1984
and is known for both its exceptional comfort and
as a design classic. As the only chair in the market,
that allows you to sit at all heights, which makes it
extremely versatile and fit for all type of purposes and
people. The chair is now available in Asia at SB Seating
- Making the world a better place to sit!
Swedish mobile remittance service picks Thailand for launch
Nasdaq Stockholm-listed Seamless’s
mobile SEQR payment solution
has announced in early July that it is
launches its international remittance service,
where transfers from Sweden directly to India
and Thailand will be the first deployment of the
service. Seqr users can now make international
money transfers – or “remittances” – to non-
Seqr users.
Seqr customers can already transfer money to
one another across the 16 countries where Seqr
is available. The new service enables customers to
transfer money outside of these countries.
“Demand for international transfers is
constantly growing as the movement of people
becomes increasingly global. India, one of Seqr’s
launch corridors, received 12% of the total
remitted volume globally so it makes perfect
sense for Seqr to start here, offering a convenient
solution to the Swedish market that is considerably
cheaper than traditional remittance services,” says
Peter Fredell, CEO of Seamless, adding: “Following
the launch of India and Thailand we intend to
rapidly expand the number of countries to which
Seqr’s customers can transfer money.”
For a promotional period, international
remittances via the solution will initially be free
of charge.
Seqr enables anybody with a smartphone to
pay in stores, at restaurants, in parking lots and
online, to transfer money at no charge, store
receipts digitally, connect loyalty programs, and
receive offers and promotions directly through
one mobile app. The user simply uses the Seqr
app to scan a QR code at the check-out and
enters a PIN code to approve payment. Fast, safe
and convenient. Seqr is also NFC compatible.
The proprietary technology makes it possible
for merchants to half the transaction fees
charged by traditional credit-card companies. It
is developed by Seamless, one of the world’s
leading suppliers of payment systems for mobile
phones. Founded in 2001 and active in 26
countries, Seamless handles more than 3.7 billion
transactions every year through 575,000 active
sales outlets.
4 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016

August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5

News Brief
Dancham Board members tight-lipped on resignation
By Gregers Møller
Carsten Carlstedt’s resignation as
Executive Director of Dancham (Danish-
Thai Chamber of Commerce) remains a
mystery even after Dancham’s regular networking
meeting on Thursday 21 July at Admiral’s Pub /
Checkin.
The networking was well visited considering
that July is the main summer holiday month for
the Scandinavians. Many had come hoping to
hear what went down prior to the unfortunate
resignation of Executive Director Carsten
Carlstedt, but none of the three board members
attending the event, Supareak Charlie Chomchan,
Michael Andersen and Simon Scheibel, shed any
light on the matter.
Carsten Carlstedt himself thanked the
members, his staff and the board for two
interesting years.
“I would like to send a big thank you for almost
two very exciting years to all the members,” he
said.
6 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016
“Thank you to the staff of DTCC for a good
corporation during my time. In particular Pam
– thank you for getting on board on DTCC
staff last year. You really succeeded to raise the
service to a unique level. I like your always loyal
and hardworking approach to your job – not to
mentioned your good sense of humor and smile,
that can change the most critical world situation
to a scenario with good solutions. You are not
only a good employee but also a good friend.”
He went on to thank the president Thomas
Nyborg, adding that he believed the newly elected
board had the potential to provide the chamber
with a very strong team.
“A special thanks go to Stig Vagt-Andersen for
often helping with relevant articles to the media
and Michael Andersen for his many positive inputs
in helping the office striving to reach our goals.
Together these two guys represent many years
of good experience as Danes that have been
operating successfully in Thailand for decades.
Also big thanks to K. Santhapat for his always
professional advice in helping the Chamber and
its members with legal advice.”
“On the media matters, the board has
experienced members like Sune regarding IT and
Sophie that are expert in handling social platforms
not to mentioned the successful business woman
Savija who has lots of experiences in handling
chamber and business matters..
Carsten Carlstedt also thanked the very new
board members Torben Nybo Jensen, Jesper Riis-
Antonsen, and the treasurer of the board Simon
Scheibel.
“Last but not least a very special thank you
goes to one particular member of the board,
Khun Charlie. Big thanks to you Charlie for always
being available to answer questions or discuss
DTCC matters.”
Returning to the issue of his resignation, he
only revealed that his resignation was not due to
an offer for a new job, that was too good to resist.
He is still considering what to do next.
“Many people have asked me about what I
am going to do in the future. And my answer at
this moment is that I have to find out first,” he said.
While looking for this next opportunity, he
was going back to help the charity organisation,
Periamma, for which he was initially the country
director when he was recruited to be the ED of
Dancham.
“I have never mentioned this relationship
during my time as an ED at DTCC,” Carsten
Carlstedt added.
“Periamma is supporting poor children at
the district of Surin Thailand. We are trying to
support single parents families so that the mother
(typical) can effort to keep the children to finish
education in the Thai primary school before the
single parent (typical) mother has to “hand over”
her children to the labor market.”
Education is the prerequisite for development,
he explained.
“The skills to read and write, combined
with good learning methods, are fundamental
preconditions to develop people and the society.
You need them to understand where and who to
vote for in the future elections.”
Interested members were encouraged to
contact him, he said.
“We are not talking about millions. Even a
small transaction from a sponsor can make a huge
different like one of the schools that last year got
a new water pump.”
As for the resignation, the question still lingers:
Why did the Board fail to retain its Executive
Director?

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August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7

Take a Bite
Out of the Big Mango!
Bangkok welcomes hundreds of visitors and new residents every day, all undoubtedly hoping to get the most out of living in this unique and
exciting city. When trying to make living in Bangkok an enjoyable endeavor, it’s important to keep in mind that Bangkok is an international
city with residents from all corners of the world, many of whom have developed systems and services to help support many of Bangkok’s
expat residents. One of the most common threads in the life of an expat is the uncertainty of living in a new place, where the customs and
languages may be drastically different from anything you know back home. The question of where to go for what, and whom to seek out for
what service, become very daunting tasks. This is why the annual Living in Bangkok event is held at Bumrungrad International Hospital, now
in its 18th year. Our goal is to help Bangkok’s many expats and their families connect with the services that will make it easier to carve out
meaningful and fulfilling lives within this new culture. This event attracts many major organizations and groups from the Bangkok community
to one location, making it that much easier to find the right support without having to run around town collecting information.
Create Healthy Routines
It goes without saying that a healthy lifestyle
is one of the most important things in life, if
not the most important. Our lifestyles
dictate what will happen to us in the future,
whether we will enjoy aging healthy or face
the possibility of aging with conditions that
might have been prevented with a healthier
lifestyle. The things we do every day,
especially the habits we form that directly
affect our well-being, are some of the most
important decisions we’ll ever make. One
of the things that people find challenging
upon moving to a new place is maintaining
the routines they have built for a healthy
lifestyle. This catchy phrase of “healthy
lifestyle” is of course made up of several
steps and a series of choices that we make
every day. In addition to eating well and
getting plenty of exercise, choices like
where to live, how to commute to work,
what hours to work, also have an effect on
our overall health, especially in the long run.
So, knowing that our daily choices have an
impact on our health, it’s important to carve
out routines that add up to positive gains.
Bangkok Living Done Right
New residents will quickly learn that
Bangkok is a city that lends itself very well to
an active lifestyle. The city attracts people
from all over the world, therefore the most
exciting fitness trends and new diets always
arrive on the scene. Of course, it’s also
possible to start by making small changes
such as going for a walk in one of Bangkok’s
parks, or going for a bicycle ride around the
city’s bike paths or walking trails. If you’re
not sure where to even begin, just browse
around the many exhibits that are available
at this year’s Living in Bangkok event, all of
which are a great start to starting off on
your healthy journey, or reclaiming your old
routines to get back on track.
Never a Boring Day
Bangkok is a lot of things, but boring is not
one of them. This city has everything going
on, sometimes all at once. The smart
8 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016
resident knows that in the midst of the
chaos is a finely tuned machine of a city,
with a rhyme and reason for nearly everything.
And what’s left as a result is a city of
variety, with many choices for everything.
The neighborhoods of Bangkok are a
testament to this variety, with the riverside
offering a glimpse into slow life while the
crowds of Silom and Sukhumvit vibrate
with the city’s frenetic pulse. Take advantage
of this variety, and carve out a lifestyle
that is balanced between the right amount
of work and play. You can build new
routines around your schedule, or shift your
schedule to better suit your routines.
Perhaps some morning yoga to get the day
started right, or an evening run to cap off a
productive day. Better yet, join a spin class
at one of Bangkok’s many state of the art
fitness centers, or challenge yourself by
joining a CrossFit or Bootcamp class.
There’s plenty more, and this city is teeming
with places and opportunities in which to
experience it all.
Get Out There and Have Some Fun!
This concrete jungle sure is congested, and
it is often too hot and too loud to seem like
an inviting place for some fun in the sun.
However, look beyond the congested
streets and venture out into the natural
respites that are peppered around the city.
Public parks are aplenty, and community
fitness is a favorite pastime of many people
here, including the local community. Nearly
every day, people gather at the city parks
for free, community-led aerobics classes or
team sports like basketball while others
walk, run, or ride their bikes around the
park and surrounding area. We are social
creatures, and that’s why social connection
platforms like Facebook and Meetup are so
popular, especially among expats who are
trying to find their new friends or build new
social circles in their new city. These
platforms are of course a great way to find
others in your new city who may be
interested in perhaps taking the same cooking
classes, or going for a workout together.
The city’s many fitness centers and recreational
clubs are represented at this year’s
Living in Bangkok event, ready to answer
your questions eager to help provide you
with some inspiration.
Explore the Possibilities
Living healthy in Bangkok is not a lofty goal, even
if you’re not accustomed to the high temperature
or may have trouble feeling confident
among strangers. Take this opportunity to
explore the many available alternatives to the
traditional gym setting, or join a group that
engages in your favorite sport. Of course, food is
an important part of life, and especially so when
living in Thailand. Bangkok is home to many
culinary pioneers, and some of the best and
healthiest food is within easy reach. For even
more of a social activity, take a healthy cooking
class and make some friends while learning a
valuable new skill to add to your healthy lifestyle.
All of this and more are readily available at this
year’s Living in Bangkok event, and it’s a great
way to start getting active and build a social life
centered on activities that could add quality
years to your life.

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August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9

Sebastian Solasachinda
going strong and having
a SO creative hotel career
He is moving up and being part of key conceptualisation projects, as well
as branding and marketing exercises, working within AccorHotels – one of
the largest and most vibrant international hospitality groups. He is in the
business of hotels – the environment he got to visit in Thailand as a child;
looking with wide eyes and excitement at all the attention one receives as
patron in a luxury hotel, a spell-binding experience that has been instilled
with him since then.
Photos ands story: Joakim Persson
10 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016

His name is Sebastian Solasachinda,
from a small rural town in Sweden
called Flen, the son of a Swedish
father and a Thai mother, who
has had his fair share of both his
parent’s culture, while growing up and studying.
Sebastian speaks to ScandAsia about his choices
in life so far, where he has with success staked on
a career with the hotel industry over one as TV
host and model.
It’s lunchtime on a Saturday at SO Sofitel Hua
Hin, a resort situated in northern Cha-Am that
was re-branded in early 2016. Based in Bangkok,
Sebastian is the Cluster Director of Marketing and
Communications overseeing no less than three
hotels, all belonging to different brands - Sofitel
Luang Prabang, 3 Nagas Luang Prabang MGallery
by Sofitel, and SO Sofitel Hua Hin.
It’s the day when the hotel hosts its monthly
SO beach party; free for all and open to outside
guests. Hotel pool parties are almost the norm
in Bangkok these days, but when SO Sofitel
Bangkok initiated the concept five years ago,
where Sebastian then worked, it was the first
hotel to do so.
“No hotel was doing it back then, and now
it’s packed every time. Other hotels are following
the trend that was set as well.”
Sebastian and the team are now taking this
trend to Hua Hin.
“We’re starting this trend in Hua Hin and will
keep doing it, with beach parties at Beach Society
[their bar and restaurant beach and poolside].
Since renovation and re-branding we have added
more of a vibe and much more colour to it. It
matches the concept of the hotel as well to have
beach parties – our guests are looking to have fun
by our private beach. We are shaking up Hua Hin
and Cha-Am, providing a venue for beachgoers to
dance on the sand and socialize.”
And this does not exclude any age group -
young at heart rules here, though the beach party
mainly turns out to be a draw for the youngsters,
in terms of guests coming with complimentary
hotel shuttles from Hua Hin or weekenders from
Bangkok.
SO Sofitel Hua Hin will also serve its guests
with a beach club concept that includes DJ
entertainment every Friday and Saturday.
“It will be a place where to listen to music,
wine and dine. There are many things that we are
still adjusting, as we have just launched. And here
the majority of our customers are Thai, which is
the opposite of in Bangkok, where we mostly have
international guests. So here we have to navigate
how to adapt the concept to speak to the Thai
audience. We try different things and adjust along
the way.”
SO different
“One must be really creative to come up with
new things, as the customers are so used to
overwhelming information coming from so many
places these days that it all seem the same at the
end of the day,” Sebastian comments in general
on the challenges for hotels in terms of reaching
out in the vast sea of information that potential
guests are bombarded with daily. “How you stand
out is important and what’s good with the SO
Sofitel brand is that we have no strict rules forcing
us to do this and that. We brainstorm on ideas
to be different and out-of-the-box – because we
are SO.”
SO Sofitel is not to be seen in the same
way as the Sofitel brand as such, which is more
elegant and refined. On the contrary SO Sofitel
is a rebellious lifestyle brand bursting with energy.
“We are encouraged to be creative, to be
playful and make sure our guests are having fun,
something out of the ordinary when staying at SO
One must be really creative
to come up with new things,
as the customers are so
used to overwhelming
information coming from so
many places these days that
it all seem the same at the
end of the day,
August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11

As a child you get extra
attention and when you
enter a hotel it looks so big
and exciting. And the service,
the marble bathrooms,
the buffet spread! I was
impressed by the whole hotel
concept and thought it must
be cool to work in a hotel.
And this has followed with
me during the years.
Sofitel. One should react: ’Wow, this is different,
it’s bordering weird, but I like it’ That is what I want
people to feel when staying here; you get stunned
and shocked for a few seconds but then slowly
you start appreciating the design and the story
and concept behind it. The room – because it is
SO it looks different from an ordinary room. The
breakfast spread looks different and playful etc.”
In other words: no cookie-cutter hotel here.
Excited by hotels
This difference is precisely what attracted
Sebastian to work with the brand in the first
place. The determined and self-assured Thai-
Swede had come back to Thailand after finalising
his hotel education in Switzerland aiming at
working for the most trendy hotel brand on the
market at that point of time, the then newcomer
W, which was about to open a hotel in Bangkok.
Going back to childhood, his interest in
working within this sector was born out of visits
to luxury hotels in Thailand, where his mother
brought him along at an early age.
”As a child you get extra attention and when
you enter a hotel it looks so big and exciting. And
the service, the marble bathrooms, the buffet
spread! I was impressed by the whole hotel
concept and thought it must be cool to work
in a hotel. And this has followed with me during
the years.”
“And I thought: I enjoy doing something for
somebody else: put a smile on someone’s face
and feel the happiness. Working in the hotel
sector could be something for me.”
That was earlier when Sebastian had returned
12 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016
to Thailand and tried out modelling for a while,
having finished college in Sweden.
“I thought that it was fun but I had to think:
should I continue my career within modelling and
acting? After six months here I was uncertain. I
wanted an education to fall back on – to safeguard
myself – so I committed myself to further studies.
And I concluded to study hospitality. Upon
returning I’d still have time for modelling, but then
I could also always get a job in a hotel.”
So Sebastian went to Switzerland and went
to a hotel school on top of a mountain – the Swiss
Hotel and Management School in Leysin campus
for this BA Honours in Hospitality Management.
The Leysin campus was chosen primarily due
to 5 mins walk to the ski-lift, where more hours
during weekends were spent snowboarding than
actual studies.
And there, he made sure to get to learn
all about true luxury service at its absolute top
level, the kind of attention he had felt attracted
at young age, as he very carefully picked his first
internship. He was accepted for the legendary
The Ritz London (which opened in Edwardian
London in 1906) as room service attendant,
where he got to serve even Royalties and other
celebrities.
“I studied a lot of about service and The Ritz
is known for that. I learned what real service is –
which was great. I worked extra in banqueting in
order to experience as much as I could, to learn
what they did in order to go the extra mile to
please the guests.”
In his second apprenticeship he wanted
to learn all about the front office and got the
opportunity to work in a small boutique hotel, La
Cour Des Augustins, – the new hotel trend at that
time – in Geneva, where he could also practice
speaking French and learn about reservations to
check-in and check-out.
Sebastian tells that he inherited his mother’s
talent for languages Sebastian tells that he
inherited his mother’s talent for languages (who
studied Arts at Chulalongkorn University and is a
professional translator living in Sweden). He did
his first six years of education in Thailand, before
continuing in the town of Flen in Sweden, so he is
also fluent in both Swedish and Thai.
“When I studied in Thailand I was a top
student in the class on Thai language, which was
weird as a half-Thai kid at the time and landed me
in a few troubles with the local kids. My Swedish
gets a bit rusty at times since I don’t really use
it in Thailand, so i takes me around 4-5 days to
adjust when I visit home in Sweden,” he says as
we converse in Swedish.
The world is my oyster
Towards the end of the studies in Switzerland he
fell in love with a fellow student from Thailand.
“I thought about my future: I’m a young, the
world is my oyster. Now’s the time to follow my
heart, take a leap of faith. So I moved back to
Thailand to be with her, and arranged for a job
before going, through some contacts working at
the head office for Sofitel in Bangkok.” A romantic
some may say.
Therefore Sebastian got his first hotel job at
their corporate office, which was also his first step
into marketing.

“I thought it would be of interest to see
what’s happening on the marketing side of things
as well. I worked there for six months.”
After that stint Sebastian had W hotel in sight.
“I wanted something more fun, more lifestyle
and playful and W was so cool when it entered
the hotel scene; stretching the boundaries and
rules, with quite a bit of outside-the-box kind of
thinking.
The SO challenge
But AccorHotels had something similar in store
for Sebastian.
“I learned about the upcoming SO Sofitel
Bangkok – the first one in Asia, and I thought it
seemed exciting. And my previous boss knew
the upcoming hotel’s general manager so I was
interviewed – and got the job as marketing
executive.”
The opening team set about to conceptualise
this brand new hotel brand for its Bangkok
launch – with much freedom to brainstorm and
be creative. Sebastian found himself in a very
challenging situation but the kind of task he had
wanted.
“It was very intense, but also great fun with
this new brand and being able to influence and
partake in such a process.”
The branding group of AccorHotels had
drawn up guidelines but it was not set in stone
how things should be done. How to bring the
concept to life in a real hotel setting and make
the difference was very much up to the opening
team. They planned and executed how to tell the
story, how to make people be coming back, and
how to think out of the box.
“Once it opened I felt very proud of what we
had achieved from all the hard work put into it.
I was part of building the basis for this hotel, and
for the brand as well! So that was very rewarding,”
concludes Sebastian.
Learning marketing
What was next? “After 2.5 years I felt that, after
having been promoted as manager, I felt that
everything was in place, all things were working
well up to standard.”
He had now entered the hotel scene for real
and had the learned the process of being part of
a hotel’s opening team and the challenges and
special circumstances – and obviously in the So
Sofitel Bangkok case even more than that – one
comes across during such a process.
At this point Sebastian turned back to
modelling for a while including working as TV
host but gradually he came to realise that what
may seem a fun and quick earning job would not
correspond to his goals for the future, coupled
with fierce competitors that are younger and
more willing to take a pay cut.
Then he thought about moving back to
Sweden and studying a Masters in Marketing.
But again a Sofitel connection came to influence
Sebastian’s next career step.
“Coincidentally I met my previous boss at
Sofitel who recommended a special branding
agency – the hotel and travel brand consultants
QUO, as a way to learn further about marketing
and branding. “
Sebastian got a job there and learned to
see the agency side of hospitality marketing and
branding – until again Sofitel knocked on his door.
“My previous GM from SO Sofitel Bangkok
contacted me wondering if I would like to work
with SO Sofitel Hua Hin on the re-branding – he
needed someone creative, young and dynamic
with knowledge of the SO brand.”
With a new challenge in mind, Sebastian
accepted and began as Cluster Director of
Marketing and communications in January 2016
but this time overseeing also two hotels in Laos.
“It’s my first job as Director, and all three
hotels are rebranding projects that have joined
the AccorHotels portfolio. So I have three
different brands to oversee now, and they all
have separate identities; SO Sofitel is different
from Sofitel as such – being more rebellious and
fashion-forward.”
Sofitel Luang Prabang is French-colonial
style proeprty, over 100 years old and Unescoprotected.
“There it really feels like being part of
history.” 3 Nagas MGallery by Sofitel, a charming
boutique hotel with history right in the heart of
Luang Prabang.
Sebastian is based in Bangkok but visits
the properties regularly. As for his own story
it is just the beginning and, most certainly, with
many exciting things stories to come within the
hospitality industry.
August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13

Norwegian’s dedicated
Thai tour guide
By Joakim Persson
Rossukol Phansung, or khun “Rossi”, is taking
advantage of having learned the Norwegian
culture and language by offering guided
tours in Thailand for Norwegians. Having
previously lived in Norway for ten years
she is fluent in Norwegian, while she also
knows everything about history and culture
in here home country. She is now reaching
out to travel agents in Norway, as well as
to Norwegian expats in the region, with her
dedicated service.
14 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016
Unknown gems
She has set up ThaiGuide Norway
(www.thaiguide.no), offering
sightseeing and tailor-made guide
tours. Rossi’s approach benefits from
having a good understanding of what specifically
Norwegians will want when vacationing in
Thailand. And she also knows and understands
the benefit of being able to offer visits also the
unknown gems in Thailand, which has not yet
been discovered by mass tourism – because with
30 million visitors to the country certain places
are no doubt being crowded with tourists most
time of the year.
“I started this in Bangkok first and I actually
want to promote hidden places that many
tourists – groups and individuals – do not really
know about, and where they can see the way Thai
people really live. Because from what I have seen
many tourists go to main tourist attractions in
Phuket or Hua Hin. They lie down on the beach
but they do not look behind the scenes, how we
Thais are.”

The Norway-Thai connection
Rossi has invited ScandAsia to meet for coffee at
Norasingha Café, situated within the premises of
Phraya Thai Palace, which was build in 1909 by
King Chulalongkorn Rama 5 and was resident of
Queen Saovabha. King Rama 5 was a big fan of
European, including neoclassical, architecture, and
is seen as the king who modernised Siam into the
Thailand it has become today.
“This is a nice spot if tourists want to visit
a palace but a different one than the main
tourist attractions,” says Rossi. Not even expats
would easily find Phraya Thai Palace, situated
near Victory Monument, a less touristy area, and
among government hospitals and institutes, unless
investigating first.
“This palace was not finalised before the
King passed away in 1910 and after his death, his
wife lived here. And this place has later also been
owned by the government and been used as a
radio station and also run as hotel. It is still open
to visit inside at 13.30 daily, where the palace has
kept some rooms furnished as in the Royal days.”
With King Chulalongkorn there is also the
interesting connection with Norway, as the king
visited Nordkapp (North Cape) back in 1907.
“And there, you have the Thai Museum
at the North Cape Hall [opened in 1989 in
commemoration of the King’s visit]. It’s very
interesting when I tell Norwegian visitors about
that; they get surprised because they have not
seen that museum. I have been there one time.”
Rossi lived in Oslo earlier and when she
travelled back to Thailand to visit her family, she
saw a lot of Scandinavians and Norwegians and
got curious when seeing the tour guides: “What
were they telling them about my country? The
visitors come to a country where 94 per cent are
Buddhists and with 30 000 temples.”
Thailand’s potential
Earlier, while still living in Norway Rossi had
eventually come to the point where she felt
serious doubts about continuing her life there.
She had divorced from her Norwegian husband
and was living alone, and gradually felt alienated
as a foreigner. In Thailand she had worked in the
hotel industry and got work within hospitality
also in Norway – but felt that she would never
be allowed to climb the career ladder there. On
top of that she had become fed up with the
Norwegian climate.
“I missed my country and I realised that either
I continue living in Norway for another 30 years
required to get pension - or I go home.”
Not so many tourists know
that we are well educated
like that. Because being
a tourist guide means to
represent Thailand. It’s one
of the 39 jobs in Thailand
only for Thais.
She felt that she had more ability; combined
with the potential she was seeing within Thailand’s
growing tourism growing.
The first thing she did was to become a
certified tourist guide – which requires a special
Bachelor Degree in Thailand. However, as she
already had a degree she needed to study only
for another year to complete the education for
tourist guides.
“Not so many tourists know that we are well
educated like that. Because being a tourist guide
means to represent Thailand. It’s one of the 39
jobs in Thailand only for Thais.”
Should it occur that for instance a Chinesespeaking
licensed tour guide is not available they
can use a Thai-English guide. Regardless, the role
of the Chinese tour leader is only to translate
from Thai or English into Chinese from what the
Thai guide tells them, explains Rossi.
Recently she travelled to visit Tourism
Authority of Thailand in Scandinavia, as well as
tour operators in Norway who may wish to sell
guided tours in Bangkok, to let them know that
a Norwegian-speaking guide is now available,
and highlight that tour leaders cannot guide in
Thailand.
Showing Thai way of life
“After becoming certified I started working as
freelance Norwegian-speaking guide for another
company, but only getting season work. Now,
with ThaiGuide Norway, I need to find individual
clients to come. In one year up to 150 000
Norwegians visit Thailand, so there should be a
market for me!”
She believes that many visitors have not even
been at even one temple during two weeks of
holiday.
“Thai people working near the tourists is one
thing, while the real people live in the farm is very
different. And many have been here many times
and would like to see something else. If someone
has never been here never before temples and
palaces are places to visit. It depends, but I want
visitors to get to understand the way of the Thai
people, the Buddhism – the way of life.”
What she had to learn about the most during
the studies was Buddha images, temples and the
history of Thai architecture.
“It goes very deep into this, such as the Thai
people who are experts on Buddha amulets, and
that took me aback. Tourists cannot dig that deep
down into history.”
She thinks that Buddhism still plays a part in
today’s modern society.
At Grand Palace, when visiting Wat Phra
Kaew you can still see local Thais, and tourists
like to see how we are doing the offerings. You
will see the big area where they put the offering
and you’ll see a lot of boiled eggs. Thais believe
that Emerald Buddha likes to eat egg so we offer
that. And of course you still see the spirit house
in every home, so we still do offering, even if we
don’t go to temples very often anymore. But we
still practise what we believe.”
“And I explain that when we celebrate a
birthday some of us still go to the temple. And
if you are getting married you have to invite
the monk or if someone dies we still have the
ceremony in the temple, as well as if someone
gets ordained. That is when we still visit the
temple. And the money tree is also still a strong
tradition.”
“I also do tailor-made – sometimes someone
came to me and had been here many times
already. Then I customise, but it means I also need
to know first what you are interested in and
where you have been before.”
Rossi’s main base is Bangkok, but she comes
from Surat Thani so she wants to open up
business also there.
“My focus now is to make routes; a Northern
a Southern and one Western, for group tours or
individuals, between 3 to 7 days. I do some in
the area where I come from but only by request,
because in high season I have a lot of guide tours
in Bangkok. But I want to go to the south and
other places too.”
August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15

News Brief
Thailand-Sweden Smart City Collaboration
On 16-17 June the Embassy of Sweden
in Bangkok and Business Sweden
jointly conducted a Thailand-Sweden
Smart City Collaboration. Eleven world-leading
companies, participants from academia and public
representatives from Sweden in the field of
energy, transport and safety participated with the
purpose of enabling and strengthening knowledge
sharing between Sweden and Thailand in order to
build sustainable cities for the future.
On 16 June at Okura Prestige Hotel, over
140 people participated at different seminars and
panel discussions, opening remarks was delivered
by the Swedish Ambassador in Thailand, H.E.
Staffan Herrström. Keynote speakers included the
Minister of Science and Technology, H.E. Dr Pichet
Durongkaverjoy and Minister of Transport, H.E.
Dr. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. Swedish solutions
and innovations were highlighted by all three
parties, as well as the possibilities for further
collaboration between Thailand and Sweden on
these crucial themes.
The first day ended with a reception at Okura
Hotel hosted by ambassador Herrström. Around
80 people attended and vivid discussions took
place on how to develop sustainable and smart
city solutions.
On 17 June the delegation visited companies
and government agencies on the same themes.
In the morning, ambassador Herrström and
members from the delegation visited The Royal
Thai Police’s (RTP) Traffic division. Great interest
was shown for the the Swedish traffic safety
policy ‘vision zero’ and the solutions presented by
the Swedish delegation. Visits were also made to
i.e. the Metropolitan Electrical Authority (MEA),
the Department of Highways (DoH) and the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
(EGAT).
Overall the delegation contributed to
strengthened relations between the two
countries and several areas of common interest
were explored. It was clear that Sweden and
Thailand can learn from each other in creating
smarter and more sustainable cities, reported
Business Sweden!
16 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016

Sweden-Southeast Asia
Business Summit announced
By Joakim Persson
In order o strengthen the Team Sweden
efforts and as a platform for engagement,
the first ever ‘Sweden-Southeast Asia
Business Summit’ has been announced. With
the view that Southeast Asia is the world’s
new growth engine offering, as in the words of
Sweden’s ambassador to Singapore, ”fantastic
opportunities for Swedish companies to grow in
a number of areas”, this summit will take place on
21-22 September in Singapore, held at Parkroyal
on Pickering hotel.
During two days company representatives
as well as various business associations and
official representatives of Business Sweden and
the various embassies will gather to share best
practices on how to do business in this dynamic
part of the world. All Swedish businesses in
Sweden and the Southeast Asia region are invited
to attend. The summit is hosted by the Embassy
of Sweden in Singapore, Business Sweden and
the Swedish Business Association of Singapore
(SBAS).
”Southeast Asia is the world’s new growth
engine,” Sweden’s ambassador to Singapore,
Håkan Jevrell, explains the reasons behind this
new initiative. The time is ripe for this event.
Home to more than 650 million people with
a rapidly growing middle class, the Southeast
Asian region is estimated to grow at an average
of 5 –6 percent annually in the coming decade,
making it the growth engine of the world. The
newly established ASEAN Economic Community
is likely to enhance growth further.
”Southeast Asia continues to show strong
growth rates despite the slowdown in the world
economy. Simultaneously, the interest for the
region is growing, as more and more companies
come to realize that Asia represents more than
just China and India,” says the ambassador.
”There is also a need to increase knowledge
about this region of the Swedish decision-makers,
both in politics and business. The purpose of
the Sweden-Southeast Asia Business Summit,
which we hope will become a regular event, is
to disseminate information on Southeast Asia
and the rapid development taking place here as
well as a forum for exchange between Swedish
and Southeast Asian business representatives
who are active in the region. Sweden-Southeast
Asia Business Summit is an initiative run jointly
by ’Team Sweden South-East Asia’, which means
all the embassies, Business Sweden offices and
chambers of commerce in the various countries
in the region.”
To be competitive in this evolving global
market, it is crucial for any CEO or board member
to have a clear understanding of the developments
in the region. The Sweden–Southeast Asia Business
Summit provides an excellent opportunity to get
Håkan Jevrell
insights from industry peers and policy experts
and to meet with potential partners.
Sharing of best practices on how to do
business in this dynamic part of the world will be
a key ingredient.
”I meet many business representatives in my
role as ambassador and I often hear that one lacks
a forum for experience-sharing and cross-sector
dialogue between business representatives. They
of course, have a lot to learn from each other.
Via the summit Swedish companies will have the
opportunity to share their experiences. Alongside
a range of inspirational speakers and panels
there will be plenty of time for discussion and
networking,” replies Håkan Jevrell.
“We have chosen a broad focus for this first
Sweden-Southeast Asia Business Summit, not
least because of the amazing breadth that Swedish
companies in the region represents. In Singapore
alone there are 250 Swedish companies presents,
many with regional headquarters, and ranging
from small niche consulting firms to banks and
manufacturing companies.”
Around 600 Swedish companies across
business sectors ranging from service to
manufacturing and retail are present in Southeast
Asia.
The summit will feature key political and
business representatives from Sweden, including
Mr Mikael Damberg, Minister for Enterprise and
Innovation; Mrs. Ylva Berg, CEO, Business Sweden
– the Swedish Trade and Invest Council; Mr
Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of the Board, SEB,
SAAB Group & Foundation Asset Management;
Mr. Magnus Böcker, Executive Chairman of Blibros
and former CEO of Singapore Exchange and
many more.
For outreach the ambassador explains that
this initiative is run jointly by ‘Team Sweden South-
East Asia’, which means all the embassies, Business
Sweden offices and chambers of commerce
located in region’s various countries in the region.
“We all have an important role to play in
reaching out to businesses with presence there
and ensure good attendance. We are very pleased
with the strong interest we’ve seen by businesses
to participate as partners. Our main sponsors are
Carl Bennet AB, Ericsson, SAAB, Scania, SEB and
Volvo. Singapore Airlines is the official airline of
the event. Other sponsors are Alfa Laval, Billerud
Korsnäs, IKEA, Nordea, SKF and Spotify.”
Team Sweden promotes Swedish exports
abroad. At home, Team Sweden is led by the
Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. Abroad,
a local Team Sweden led by the Swedish
Ambassador will assist companies around the
world. Through Team Sweden the Swedish
Government can provide coordinated and
effective export support to Swedish companies
that want to set up operations abroad, making
entry into the export market clear and simple.
The export support includes advisory services,
financing, marketing and the long-term promotion
of Sweden.
Summit info at: www.sweden-sea.com.
August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17

Sweden’s ambassador
presents Cambodia
business opportunities
By Joakim Persson
The Swedish-Thai business community
was given a rare opportunity to get a
heads up on the investment climate
in Cambodia, courtesy of departing
Ambassador of Sweden to Cambodia,
Ms Anna Maj Hultgård.
The special seminar: ‘Doing Business i
Cambodia: Opportunities & Challenges’ was
hosted by and held at the Embassy of Sweden,
Bangkok on 23 May, including among others
members of the Thai-Swedish Chamber of
Commerce.
Ambassador of Sweden to Bangkok, Mr
Staffan Herrström introduced the seminar and
said that we all have an interest to expand the
trade in the region, which is being done in various
ways.
“We have the Sweden-Southeast Asia
Business Summit coming up in Singapore we
have jointly been initiating in the region. Then,
with business presence in Bangkok it is obviously
natural to come here and discuss Cambodia
as a business destination,” said Ambassador
Herrström.
With ‘Cambodia – Rebranding’ as a headline
Ambassador Anna Maj Hultgård began her
presentation by saying that she wished to give a
balanced and up-to-date image of Cambodia in
substance and perception.
“We have a big aid programme, but I saw
how much Cambodia had pogressed, and the
connections we have and tremendous access to
18 ScandAsia.Thailand • August 2016
ministers etc., and thought we should do more on
the business and trade side.”
Aid will soon be phased out, with some
donor countries having already left the country,
informed the ambassador and continued: “The
image of Cambodia is about war, the Khmer
Rouge, which is part of its modern history. But for
us living there and seeing the tremendous growth,
I saw a mismatch about the image of this country.”
“It’s a very open country. What happens in
Cambodia is out there. All UN organisations are
there, reporting openly. I highlight this as a positive
aspect; even the smallest abuses taking places is
all reported, and in English language media mostly.
All Human Rights bodies are there, being very
critical and very active. We have to take that into
account. That in a way also contributes to one
image, that is at least partly true, but sometimes
give an unbalance and unfair image.”
Some chambers of commerce surveys show
a perception that may not be the updated one,
she said.
“The image works a bit against, but it is not
really corresponding to what is there today.”
Then she pointed to some indicators for the
country: the hospitality industry has been booming
in Angkor Wat, but also moving on to the coast;
shopping centres, being new in a commercial
context - there are in total twenty new to come
on to the market; and that Cambodia has a very
young and vibrant generation.
“The youth is one of the great potentials of
Cambodia. The demographics data continues to
accommodate economic transformation; with
strong increase in the available work force.”
“I think there is great potential, but also point
to some challengers that can be overcome.”
Looking at macroeconomics, the ambassador
pointed to that the country ranks among the
most rapidly growing economies in the world
with a growth at about 7 per cent per year.
And there are reduced poverty and income
disparities, where poverty has fallen from 50% in
2004 to 18% today.
“In some aspects Cambodia is where Thailand
was 15 years ago, but Cambodia can also leapfrog
on many aspects. Its technology sector is huge!”
Garments and construction sector are the
main engines of growth and remain resilient
despite global slowdown.
Manufacturing, construction, assembly,
agribusiness and food processing are others.
“Labour standards in general are in-between
compared to the region. Cambodia is somewhere
in the middle. There are other issues, such as
transport to and from the factories.”
The seminar attendants put forward plenty of
questions and one of those concerned Cambodia’s
corporate social responsibility reputation.
In response the ambassador said that the
Swedish embassy is working very actively with
companies on CSR and hat Swedish companies
should be able operate in difficult markets as well.
“Every factory is being monitored by the
International Labour Organisation.”
The ambassador described the country’s
government as business-friendly.
“The investment schemes are very liberal.
Ease of doing business ranking is moving up.
Mostly there are too few rules and you might lose
out a bit on unpredictability.”
“It takes a bit too long still to set up a
company,” the ambassador thought.
There is sometimes no legislation, such as for
the construction sector, though the country is
aware of that being an issue.
The new Industrial Policy has clearly expressed
what needs to be in place in Cambodia concerning
infrastructure, connectivity, productivity, and skills
& SMEs.
“Part of the government’s plan and what we
also see asneeded is to move up the value chain
and having the capability to do the processing,
and to move up to the higher end in the garment
sector.”
As for the Asean Economic Community,
Anna Maj Hultgård said that they are all positive
towards this in Cambodia.
“I do believe that Cambodia will benefit, as it
is about openness and having to be competitive.
They are too small to be protectionists.”
Reasons to invest there she highlighted:
competitive labour force; preferential market
access to EU and the U.S; its geographic location:
in the heart of SEA; low taxes; and the quality
of life.
Cambodia has “extremely liberal investment
rules”. Only on land there are restrictions but
foreigners can own factories and buildings. Land
lease can be up to 99 years long. There are also
no limitations on bringing in foreign workers. Also
repatriation of profits is not restricted.
As for challenges these are: corruption; weak
institutions and implementation, high energy costs,
infrastructure still being under development, skills
gap, and a deteriorating political context.
Tensions are expected to increase in the
run up to the elections in 2017 and 2018, with
polarisation in politics and society.

มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai
Corner
Royal Thai
By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)
Even seasoned foreign speakers of Thai
may feel lost when Thai television
channels air their nightly reports
of the activities of the royal family.
The reason is that the Thai language
contains a class of words reserved exclusively for
use with royals. It is called คำราชาศัพท์ / kham
ra:cha: sàp / ~ rajasap or royal words. Many of
these words carry little or no resemblance to
words of similar meaning in everyday Thai. This
separate class of words hails from the traditional
cult of royalty and reflects the divine status of
the king. The cult came to prominence during
the time when Ayutthaya was the capital of
Thailand and, as the use of royal words illustrates,
the tradition is still strong to this day. The notion
of deva-raja, god-king, came to Thailand from
India via the ancient Khmer kingdom, centered
in today’s Cambodia. Thus, the rajasap are of
Khmer or Indian origin. Thai children learn the
most important rajasap in school, read any fairy
tale in Thai and you are bound to meet rajasap
whenever kings, queens, princes or princesses
are involved. Most learners of Thai will at some
stage feel, if not a need, then, out of curiosity, a
desire to know some of these words. Hence,
we shall this month go through a small selection
of them. Meanwhile, the Thai language novice
may just relax, note the existence of rajasap for
later enjoyment, and practice the colloquial Thai
equivalents which we shall also list together with
the rajasap in the following.
In everyday Thai, we know พระ / phrá› / to
mean monk. However, when used as a prefix
the word takes on a more general meaning of
something or someone holy, worthy of respect
and worship. Thus, we find it as a prefix of many
rajasap. The common term when referring to the
King of Thailand is ในหลวง / nai lŭang /, while
a more formal word is พระเจ้าอยู่หัว / phrá› jâo
yù: hŭa / ~ the Lord above our heads. A general
term for king is ราชา / ra:cha: / ~ raja, which may
be used in fairy tales or as informal reference to
kings of other countries, e.g. ราชานอร์เวย์ / ra:cha:
nor:we: / ~ the King of Norway. In addition to
the terms mentioned here, numerous more exist
for the word ‘king’, however we shall try to keep
it simple. The same goes for the other members
of a royal family:
สมเด็จพระราชินี / sŏmdèt phrá› ra:chíni: /
~ HM the Queen, or the informal term, ราชินี /
ra:chíni: /~ a queen.
มกุฎราชกุมาร / mákùt râ:tchákùma:n /
~ crown prince, which, for instance, is the title
of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and
part of the official name of Thailand’s Crown
Prince Vajiralongkorn: สมเด็จพระบรมโอรสาธิราช เจ้า
ฟ้ามหาวชิราลงกรณ สยามมกุฎราชกุมาร / sŏmdèt
phrá› bor:romma o:rótsă:thírâ:t jâo fá: máhă:
wáchíra:longkor:n sàyă:m mákùt râ:tchákùma:n
/. Try to listen for that next time you watch
the royal news!The female counterpart is มกุฎ
ราชกุมารี / mákùt rà:tchákùma:ri: / ~ crown
princess, as used with Crown Princess Victoria of
Sweden. Then, beyond the titles, we have:
พระราชโอรส / phrá› râ:tchá› o:rót / ~ prince
(son of a king), and
พระราชธิดา / phrá› râ:tchá› thída: / ~
princess (daughter of a king), while the colloquial
terms are เจ้าชาย / jâo cha:i / ~ prince and เจ้าหญิง
/ jâo yĭng / ~ princess, respectively.
But the rajasap are not limited to persons and
titles. Also royal bodily parts are named differently
from common Thai, for example:
พระศรีษะ / phrá› sĭ: sà› / ~ (royal) head,
against colloquial หัว / hŭa / ~ head,
พระเนตร / phrá› nê:t / ~ (royal) eye, colloquial
ตา / ta: /, and we get น้ำตา / ná:m ta: / ~ tears and
น้ำพระเนตร / ná:m phrá› nê:t / ~ royal tears, and
in the same way พระหัตถ์ / phrá› hàt / ~ (royal)
hand, against มือ / mue: / give us ฝีมือ / fĭ: mue:
/ ~ craftsmanship and ฝีพระหัตถ์ / fĭ: phrá› hàt /
~ royal craftsmanship.
Similarly, special words are reserved for royal
actions, e.g.:
เสด็จ / sàdèt / ~ to go (somewhere), colloquial
ไป / pai /, and
เสวย / sàwŏe:i / is the royal equivalent of
กิน / kin / ~ to eat and as such you may find the
former in the name of more than one restaurant
in Thailand.
The prefix ทรง / song / is often used to
indicate royal action, we have for instance:
พระราชดำริ / phrá› râ:tchádamrí› / ~ (royal)
thought, corresponding to ความคิด / khwa:m
khít /, and we get ทรงพระราชดำริ / song phrá›
râ:tchádamrí› / ~ to think (done by a royal), or
ทรงมี / song mi: / ~ to have, which is the royal
form of มี /mi: /.
Time is up and, in ending, it should be
emphasized that this has been but a glimpse into
an intricate world with a highly elaborate system
to enforce rank and position through language
and titles. It is not meant to be easy.
See you same place next time or at the Thai
Language Corner on Facebook.
August 2016 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19