The Big Cheese with Paul Wilson – VP Sales, Centara Hotels & Resorts

The Big Cheese with Paul Wilson – VP Sales, Centara Hotels & Resorts

The great thing about my job is… The sheer scope – in every sense!

While it can be absolutely dizzying, Bangkok is the epicenter of global travel; it is still the second most visited city in the world. Having the ability to actively drive strategy within a company that has a focus on unique international openings is one thing, but being able to connect and learn in a global team environment is certainly not something I take for granted.

The challenge for industry is… Breaking intertia. More than ever we need to be continually reengineering the mix of business while considering the continual change in travel patterns.

My greatest achievement is… Recognising how lucky I am: having an abundance of friends, a wonderful family and being able to eat and sleep each day – that’s what counts.

The biggest thing in MICE this year will be… True differentiation. With saturation of discounts and promotions across the market, I think we’ll start seeing the delivery of highly personalised value-adds and learning to re-mastering the basics: answering the brief correctly and delivering results above and beyond expectation – from enquiry through to the final invoice.

I try to relax by… It used to be competitive ocean swimming – now with the new role and travels to new destinations… I’m actually not sure yet here in Bangkok.

I don’t understand why… Bitcoins came about.

My favourite venue is… Centara Grand Island Maldives – it is absolutely sensational.

I’ve always wanted to travel to… Cuba!  Centara is currently expanding… so I’m scrubbing up on the Spanish.

I am scared to death of… Not managing work life balance.

I can’t live without… Peanut Butter and Biltong.

I really wish I had… More time with my brother.

If I could invite four people to a dinner party, they’d be…Virginia Wolf, Sigmund Freud, Robert Mugabe and my father (with apologies to my brother).

For anyone starting out in the industry one piece of advice I’d give would be … The adage is true: people will only remember how you made them feel.  As you grown in your career, focus on motivating and bringing the best out of people – it’s rare yet truly invaluable.

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