Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok announces the appointment of Vincent Hoogewijs as Regional Vice President and General Manager, with regional responsibilities for the additional three Four Seasons properties in Thailand – Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, and Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui.
No stranger to Thailand, Hoogewijs’ first appointment with Four Seasons was actually at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok back in 2004, when he was appointed Hotel Manager. When asked how he feels about coming back to the Land of Smiles, Hoogewijs says, “It’s great to be back in bustling Bangkok. The vibe of the city is just incredible, and it feels more energetic than ever.”
A native of Belgium, Hoogewijs has worked in 13 countries so far, and views every move as a new adventure. He lived his life according to the mantra of Four Seasons long before he joined the company in 2004. “It’s such a valid philosophy,” he explains. “As long as you treat people the way you want to be treated yourself, you can survive anywhere.”
Hoogewijs describes life as a Four Seasons General Manager as a four-fold structure: one that involves having ultimate responsibility for the happiness of a hotel’s owners, guests, employees and ? on a personal level ? his own family. And family plays a very important role to him, the Hoogewijs family being a tight unit with a healthy appreciation for simple, natural pleasures, enjoying spending their spare time camping or touring in camper vans.
“It’s the best way to recharge the batteries, reassess what’s important and simply enjoy being together,” Hoogewijs explains. Hoogewijs’s hobbies are similarly down to earth and include nature-oriented activities such as hiking, fishing and walking. In each new destination he visits, he likes nothing better than to walk the streets at night, eating from roadside stalls or seeking out little mom-and-pop-style restaurants and generally, “absorbing the local colour and flair.”
Since Vincent and his wife will soon be empty-nesters (their daughter is attending university in Brussels and their son will head to Leuven University in a few months), they plan to spend much of their free time exploring the lesser known sides of Thailand, getting off the beaten track and experiencing some of the abundant nature that the country has to offer. And with a portfolio of hotels like Four Seasons Thailand properties to take care of, no doubt Hoogewijs will soon become an expert on the hidden secrets of Chiang Mai, the Golden Triangle and Koh Samui, as well as his new home, Bangkok.