I was drawn towards TEMBO Beach Club & Resort located on Koh Samui's renowned Bangrak Beach and its co-Founder Susan Field for, primarily, three important reasons. All three reasons are great lessons in expanding one’s ambit, evolving ones perspicacity, banking on one’s honed skill set and talent and breathing a fresh lease of life in one’s business environment – all qualities that are proving to be the hallmark of successful survivors and strongest troopers who have been triumphing over the Pandemic and setting a fine example for others.

Firstly, Susan Field has been a career PR Practitioner who decided to harvest her experience and expertise to carve the next chapter for herself. Secondly, TEMBO was launched in November 2021, at the time when the world was variedly submerged in the second and third waves of the Pandemic. I find that to be a show of resilience, optimism and promise. Finally, this admirable spurt and growth of business has been done in a region that has been gravely impacted by the Pandemic, being an area whose economy is essentially dependent on tourism.

With these pointers riding high on my mind, I had the most hearty and enlivening conversation with Susan Field –

L. Aruna Dhir - From a PR Virtuoso to becoming a Resort Owner can you briefly describe your journey?

Susan Field - I have worked in Asia for over 35 years. I ran my own successful PR Company, Impact Asia - which I had established in 1990 - for over 23 years before selling it to WPP, the world’s largest media & communications conglomerate in 2011, when it was rebranded Cohn&Wolfe.

My base for 30 years was Hong Kong and during my PR career, my team and I helped many international brands to successfully gain a foothold in the Asian market, providing senior counsel and workable strategies to the luxury sector. I was very active in China where I had two offices in Shanghai and Beijing.

My Agency’s long-time clients included Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Sofitel, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Anantara, Three on the Bund, Bicester Village Shopping Collection, Pernod Ricard, Guinness, hotels.com, Mira Hotels, and many, many more. After finally ending my tenure as CEO of the merged company in 2014, I worked on projects with Virtuoso and Six Senses worldwide. I moved to Koh Samui in 2015.

At this juncture, I was looking for a new challenge. As I already had a home in Koh Samui and had project managed the build; I became interested in the design aspect of real estate.

Before TEMBO, my partner David Birchall and I completed several successful projects, which we sold on and then managed the assets (where requested) on behalf of the owners.

Our property development company is called Impact Samui, and our management company is called Sam-kah Samui. We have around 14 units (villas, apartments and studios) in our portfolio.

L. Aruna Dhir - While being the CEO of Impact Asia, your Hong Kong based PR Agency, for 30 years and servicing iconic hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental, Anantara, Six Senses and more; what essential knowledge did you pick up that has paved the way for your current, most ambitious role?

Susan Field – First and foremost has to be ‘Attention to detail.’ Then Quality control of the highest order is one attribute that I think all great brands uphold. I learned that in this there can be no compromise. I insist on buying the best materials you can afford as a developer, whether that be construction materials or soft furnishings.

Amazing service is another key factor so hiring the right people and retaining them is an absolute essential. Offering ongoing training and incentives help to achieve that.

All the best brands put the guest experience first and the areas we focused on are geared towards providing that.

L. Aruna Dhir - What led you to choose Koh Samui for your entrepreneurial chapter? And what made you begin your ownership account with TEMBO Beach Club & Resort?

Susan Field – I have had a long relationship with Koh Samui. I visited the Island with my mother for the first time in 1986 when we stayed in a beach bungalow on Chaweng Beach. I fell in love with it back then and kept returning. In around 2000, I bought a plot of land and, when I could afford it, built a house and became a regular visitor there.

As for TEMBO, the site originally had a very dated resort on it, poorly maintained and badly planned in terms of use of space.

However, it has one of the best locations right on the beach at Bangrak, which is Samui’s most popular area now - the Northeast of the island, which is home to most of the luxury hotel brands and many upmarket, privately owned villas.

Once we acquired the 3,200 sq.mt. Site, we set about demolishing around 85% of it and starting a new, fresh design. We love the “plantation” style – lots of white, green palms, shutters, wicker furniture, carved whitewashed wood and black and white checkered floors so we used that as our design inspiration.

L. Aruna Dhir - When did the Resort become operational? What were the teething problems you faced during the launch phase?

Susan Field – We opened on Nov 8th last year – and on November 9th the heavens opened and it poured with tropical rain for one whole month! So, we had a challenge right from the start.

At least we identified a couple of leaks – and it tested the resilience of our staff and management team! They are still with us, so I guess we (literally) weathered that storm together!!

L. Aruna Dhir - What are the salient features that make TEMBO stand out amidst other properties in the region?

Susan Field – I would say the primary distinction is the design. Many resorts prefer an Asian vibe, but we like ‘plantation’ or colonial style. I think the design inspiration comes from working with some of the region’s “grand old dame” hotels such as Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Sofitel Metropole Hanoi to name a couple. Our home in Samui is designed along the same lines.

Guests wishing to stay at TEMBO (which means ‘elephant’ in Swahili) can select from nine delightful double bungalows (seven king size beds and two twin-bed rooms) and a spacious beachside villa, just steps from the beach, which has its own private garden and is perfect for romance!

The bungalows and villa, all with aircon and ceiling fans, are decorated in a relaxed, coastal style, designed to reflect a true beachside ambience. Beautiful, intricately carved whitewashed furniture has been created by artisans in Northern Thailand, and in the beach villa, a bespoke four-poster bed with a romantic canopy is the highlight. The nine bungalow feature large hand-carved bedheads from Chiang Mai, which create a central artistic art focus.

Jim Thompson fabrics have been used for bed cushions and all rooms have balconies or terraces, as well as tropical, up-lit gardens off the bathrooms.

We also pride in our extensive Food & Beverage offerings –

TEMBO Restaurant, with its signature teal and pale wicker palette, cooling overhead fans and friendly staff, is the place to sample the Mediterranean and Asian-inspired menu. Spanish tapas have proved so popular since opening that TEMBO has increased the varieties of “small bites” to cater to the demand.

Within the main restaurant is JOURNEY, an intimate, air-conditioned 12-seat dining space scheduled to open later this year. Here, TEMBO chefs will prepare a regularly changing menu of international dishes, as well as host visiting chefs.

TEMBO Deli, with its prime road-side location, promises to be the best place on the island to pick up sandwiches and paninis made to order, salads and other savoury treats. An excellent selection of charcuterie, cheeses, olives, pastes and dips is complemented by fresh bread, cakes and pastries, made daily in the resort’s own bakery. Explorers heading out for some island-hopping can order a picnic basket to go.

L. Aruna Dhir - How have you addressed the challenges posed by Covid to our industry? How did you circumvent the problems faced?

Susan Field – I’ll admit it wasn’t easy! The early challenges included attracting funding for a hospitality/tourism-led project in a country whose borders were closed.

Thankfully, through David’s excellent project management skills, we kept our contractors on board, and they were able to finish the project. The next step was the interior design and we kept costs down by literally shopping in markets and wholesale outlets and online for virtually every single item, cutting out the need for too many “middle men.”

We also worked closely with the local authorities to ensure we were complying with all aspects of updated Covid guidelines from the Government. This entailed applying for special licenses to open according to deadline and ensuring all our staff were tested and regularly checked.

We introduced stringent Standard Operating Policies (SOPs) for the staff to help them through the ‘new way’ of doing their jobs and carried out extensive training.

With the opening being delayed, we had time to thoroughly instill the revised ‘modus operandi’ into the team.

L. Aruna Dhir - What lessons - in running your business, operating the resort, managing inventory, taking care of employees, anticipating and looking after guests – have you learned during the present Pandemic crisis?

Susan Field – Having had my finger on the marketing pulse for many years, I have a good understanding of evolving travel trends – what people are looking for these days, and what our target market wants and appreciates.

Good service is a key driver in our vision for the success of TEMBO and we are lucky to have a highly experienced and nimble team, led by our very competent Resort Manager, May Ongcharoen, who was GM of the successful Peace Resort and the Scent Hotel for several years.

She has been instrumental in not only hiring and training good people, but also working with them on the SOPs mentioned earlier.

It’s the team that makes it happen, in all areas!

Personally, I have learned a great many lessons, given that this is my first ever role in actually owning a resort! I have had to try and fulfill my creative vision for TEMBO whilst taking into account pre-set budgets! I’ve had my knuckles rapped once or twice for being too extravagant!

L. Aruna Dhir - How have your SOPs evolved? How are you doing some things differently from the times prior to the Pandemic?

Susan Field – We of course have established SOP guidelines for Covid, with a focus on health and safety. Being eco-conscious, we use only environmentally-friendly products and procedures and use virtually no plastic.

We run refresher courses for our team to remind them of the importance of the strict hygiene protocol, and we clean endlessly.

We continue learning as we go; we study related reports and compare our SOPs to guidelines from the big hotel groups to ensure we explore all opportunities to constantly enhance our standards in all areas.

L. Aruna Dhir - What strategies have you put into play to stay afloat?

Susan Field – We have to keep a careful eye on spending on the one hand, and on the other, we need to constantly think of creative ideas to attract customers, given the lack of tourists visiting Thailand from overseas.

We regularly assess what works and what doesn’t work and adjust our activities accordingly to ensure we give guests what they want.

L. Aruna Dhir - What does your recovery roadmap look like?

Susan Field – Thailand has recently resumed the Test and Go scheme, albeit a slightly amended model. Guests must spend one night in an SHA approved hotel on arrival in Thailand and night in an approved hotel after five days. At least there is hope for the future and things are coming back.

We plan to continue to focus on staff training, creating regular exciting events, focus on weddings and keep our standards up by listening to guests and learning what we need to know to stay at the top of our game.

L. Aruna Dhir - You pride in your sustainability measures. Please enlist them for us. How significantly different and path breaking are your measures from the more prosaic ones that involve telling the guest to re-use towels and the like?

Susan Field – To help support the planet’s precious resources, TEMBO standard practices include:

Using eco-friendly cleaning and pest control products throughout Strict protocols on personal and resort hygiene Sustainably sourced, all natural room amenities and spa products Purchasing food products from local growers and producers of organic products Beach clean ups and other community activities

L. Aruna Dhir - Please share with us your excellent CSR activities.

Susan Field – Giving back is essential to us and is a key component part of our founding ethos for TEMBO.

Since leaving the corporate world, I have been fortunate to discover what makes me truly happy and fulfilled, and that is helping animals and people in need. We support carefully chosen communities and foundations through events and other programs.

Most recently we made significant financial contributions through some special events to our three main beneficiaries:

Save Elephant Foundation: This non-profit organization provides care and assistance to Thailand’s captive elephant population through a multifaceted approach involving local community outreach, rescue / rehabilitation programs, and educational ecotourism operations. I work in this to increase awareness of the plight of elephants in tourists’ camps and lobby in Thailand’s Parliament to provide much needed financial support. A major initiative is #saddleoff Samui Street Dogs/Spay & Neuter Program: A group of volunteers works tirelessly to keep the island’s stray dog and cat populations under control. I have co-created an active group to support sterilization days and other important animal welfare initiatives. Sisters on Samui is another favourite local cause due to its ongoing Feed Samui initiative, which supports stricken communities whose livelihoods have been severely affected by Covid.

L. Aruna Dhir - You run a Management firm – Impact Samui, with your partner David Birchall, where you acquire dilapidated, derelict properties, refurbish and renovate them before selling them to investors. Tell us a little about that business. How did you get into it?

Susan Field – When we arrived in Samui to live permanently, our original direction was to consider building new developments. However, we realized there were so many unloved or unfinished projects that could benefit from our combined skills in project design, development and management.

L. Aruna Dhir - Can you share with us some of your success stories or prized projects that you have turnkey-ed under Impact Samui?

Susan Field – We have worked on three projects:

We acquired a large, half finished house and redesigned and rebuilt it to create six stunning apartments called Residence 8. Each apartment has its own unique design, and all have large balconies with amazing sea views. There is a two-storey penthouse, with the top floor boasting panoramic sea views and a complete outside dining area, with Barbecue and fridge. We acquired a property with four villas and a central swimming pool. We refigured them into four lovely villas, each with their own pool, with elegant terraces for entertaining Our next project was the acquisition of a tumble-down beachside building which we converted into two retail spaces (which we rent out to restaurants), and two cute studio apartments upstairs.

L. Aruna Dhir - What does the near future look like to you with respect to the Travel and Hospitality Industry?

Susan Field – I believe any future success depends almost entirely on how governments manage to contain and deal with Covid on a daily basis.

It may be beneficial to consult with industry leaders in the private sector on a regular basis to assess their strategies and make considerate policies for fiscal recovery.

L. Aruna Dhir - From your own experience what is your advice to the young, aspiring hoteliers?

Susan Field – The hotel industry, in my opinion, offers an amazing opportunity to young people as a profession - potential international travel in certain roles, meeting people from all over the world from different cultures, working as part of a team and many more reasons. It’s an exciting industry to be in!

And there are so many aspects to the travel and hospitality that can use a whole range of skills. Increasingly tech-led skills and expertise definitely!

Getting down to the basics, we look for people with initiative, a positive personality and a happy disposition in general. We need people who are eager to roll up their sleeves and do whatever it takes to deliver the best guest experience we can.

L. Aruna Dhir - And your last word to the hotel owners who are battling some of the gravest challenges of our times on account of the Pandemic?

Susan Field – This unprecedented period in the world has been devastating for hotel owners and operators – and, indeed, everyone.

I can only feel tremendous sympathy for those who have not managed to survive and hope that the future brings new hope and opportunities for everyone who has suffered during the past 24 months.