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28 Nov, 2016

Dr. Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, Chairperson & MD, Dusit Thani Corp

ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame – Initiated by Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil to recognise the many veterans who helped grow and shape ASEAN tourism over the last 50 years.

thanpuying-chanut

Date of Birth: 15 May 1924

Date of Passing: 03 May 2020

Education:

Elementary – Saowapha School; Secondary – Suksanaree School. University – 4th Pre-University of Moral and Political Science (Thammasat University

Higher studies for two years in the US

Honorary doctorate in Business Administration from the National Institute of Development Administration.

Marital status:

Divorced with two daughters and one son.

Professional Career:

Opened Bangkok’s first modern hotel with a swimming pool, The Princess on New Road, in 1949, where she experimented with offering luxury hospitality with a distinctively Thai touch. After perfecting this formula, in 1970 she opened the five-star Dusit Thani Bangkok. Located in downtown Bangkok, the tiara-peaked hotel was one of the Thai capital’s most distinctive landmarks for years.

President, ASEAN Hotels and Restaurants Association; President, Thai Hotels Association, 1983-1986. Chairperson – Listed and Authorised Companies Association; Mah Boonkrong Drying & Silos Co; Patum Rice Mill & Granary Co; New Atlantic Co; Director – Thai Chamber of Commerce; University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce; Nakornthon Bank; Advisor – Thai Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Associations of Thailand.

Awards:

Knight Grand Commander of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao, the highest royal decoration for a civilian, conferred by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on 5 May 2000.

Contribution to ASEAN Tourism:

One of Thailand’s most remarkable and distinguished tourism and hotel pioneers, she was a prominent member of the first generation of leaders who laid the foundations of the Thai tourism industry, paving the way for the growth to come. The Dusit Thani become an icon of the Thai tourism and hotel industry and led to the emergence of a whole new generation of properties.

A passionate believer in things Thai, she was one among several Thai women at the forefront of developing a uniquely Thai brand. As head of the Thai Hotels Association, she defended the interests of this rapidly growing sector through numerous ups and downs. She remains one of Thailand’s finest role models for the many women climbing up the ranks of the Thai tourism industry today.

Source: Dusit Thani Corporation