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Designed to please

People come to Chiang Mai from all over the world, entranced by its natural beauty, rich wildlife, welcoming people and the alluring delight of its mysterious ways. Mohamed Jesr, who is Lebanese by birth, toured Thailand in 1991 and as soon as he arrived in Chiang Mai he fell in love with it.

“What attracted me to Chiang Mai was that I found it mysterious and I needed to know more about it. There were all the old spiritual things and the hill tribe people, the meditation, the monks, all of these things were totally alien to my background and it intrigued me. I was much younger and more adventurous in my nature as well, so all of these things were quite amazing for me at that time.”

At the time Mohamed Jesr was working in Saudi Arabia as an architect and felt no hesitation in coming to Chiang Mai to start a business. Soon after he had designed and set up a small boutique hotel, The Lotus Hotel, he then decided to dedicate his life to Chiang Mai.

“Because I was running a business here I had to learn to speak Thai so I took a course at AUA. I was keen to make it. I was still young, I didn’t know anybody, so all of these things make you try harder, and we try to learn because there is nobody else except you to rely on.”

Mohamed grew up in the Lebanon, with one older brother and one younger sister. “My father and mother both died when I was seven years of age in an aeroplane crash. This instilled a lot of independence in me at a very young age. I was sent to boarding school at the age of 12.” After the death of his parents he was brought up by his uncle and went on to successfully train as an architect at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, in the Middle East. He goes back to visit his homeland a couple of times a year. He remains close to his family and, in common with Mohamed, all his siblings have sought their fortunes in far flung areas of the world. “ We all left to seek opportunity, although now Lebanon is developing, Dubai is OK, but it lacks charm. Lebanon has mountains going all the way down to the coast, with beautiful views, lots of old buildings and plenty of water, which is rare in the Middle East.”

To his knowledge he is the only Lebanese resident of Chiang Mai. “There are some Lebanese people in Bangkok, working in restaurants or running jewellery shops, but in Chiang Mai I think I am the only one!”

When he first arrived in Chiang Mai the resident expats at that time were the first to make him feel at home. “But because I am in the tourist business I came to know a lot of (local) people through the hotel. The bar became the best place for socializing, becoming more like a small pub.”

The success of his hotel emerged largely through word of mouth. “At the beginning there were very few people, and then it started to grow as people came to see the hotel as a home from home when they were in Chiang Mai. I am still in touch with my first customer.”

The hotel is charming in its design, with traditional Northern Thai influences blending seamlessly with modern Western amenities. “The rooms are not all the same. A lot of them have Northern Thai influence. It’s nice to look at the Thai architecture, made with a modern feel, Western toilets and facilities. Younger travellers want a more minimalist look to the room, so some of the rooms are like this now.”

In the time the hotel has been in business the rooms have all changed. “At the time when we opened there was very little choice for tiles and bathroom. Now that is different, there’s a cosmopolitan feel that wasn’t there before.”

This revolution in Chiang Mai has been led by the developments along the Nimmaenhemin Road. “Some people miss the old quiet town but I don’t think it is a bad thing. Chiang Mai has several universities and it is the young generation who are making the city alive and saying, ‘This is what we want’.”

Even though the city faces infrastructure challenges before it can emerge to the next stage of its development, Mohamed is confident in the future. “Thais are moving forward. They recognise the problems.”

When he’s not working, this design-conscious man is taking care of his new baby, a beautiful female Doberman. “I don’t bring her in. She will lick everyone!” He is a big fan of art house movies and eating out. “I enjoy a good glass of wine. And one of the great things about being in Chiang Mai is the ease of access to a wonderful massage, at a very reasonable price.”

He is full of praise for the kindness of the Thais, “but they don’t say anything if there is a problem. I’m still discovering how Thais react. As an employer you have to say, ‘Go clean that table!’ and a Western employee will say ‘I can’t do it. I’m busy’. A Thai will try and do it even if there is no way and they don’t have time.”

His staff is well trained in understanding the needs of the Westerners. “They are reliable and trustworthy. We have a lot of repeat visitors; so when they see the same staff they feel comfortable.”

He sees Chiang Mai as having a great future, with the huge amount of development going on in the city. “When I first came there were no five star hotels. The first was the Four Seasons. Now that has changed and big brand names are being attracted into the city.”

The one thing that still entrances Mohamed is nature surrounding the city. “The town is a nice size; it doesn’t take too long to get round town and I love nature, the mountains and the scenery, and, of course, the wonderful people.”

Lotus Hotel,
2/25 Tanon Viengbua, Changpheuak Road, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand. Tel/fax: 053-215 376, 215-465, 410-164/7
www.lotus-hotel.com, email: lotus@loxinfo.co.th

Text : Kate Joy
Images : Apirak