Collections-The Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004-Part two

Sunday 26th December 2004.

I had a restless night and decided to get out of bed early rather than tossing and turning. Having worked almost all of Christmas day,?I was tired. The home was quiet, with family being away. I made myself a coffee, and settled down to read both the Bangkok Post and the Nation. The Sunday editions had lots to read but I had plenty of time. I did not have to go back to the hotel unless there was an emergency. However, my sudden decision to pull out of the trip meant less time to plan the Shiu family activities for, when they returned from Khao Lak.

I will call Reggie later this morning to talk about this.

Reggie had called on the previous day to wish me for Christmas. He sounded content and seemed at peace. He was delighted that the Sofitel Khao Lak was busy, and the business outlook was very positive. Despite a challenging 2003 due to SARS and the disastrous economic crisis in 1997, which lasted for several years in Thailand and severely impacted the business, Reggie was optimistic about his region. I have always loved his philosophical approach to life.?

I was once upset with him about my salary. I told him that despite managing a high-end Sofitel, I knew of some other General Managers, (GMs’) who were being paid higher salaries. Reggie did not get into a discussion at that time, saying that we would catch up later.

One of his favourite lunch venues was the?Montien?Hotel, Bangkok, where they served a very popular Hainanese chicken rice. In the early days, the Accor regional office was just behind that hotel. Reggie was based in Thailand at that time and called me to join him for a Hainanese chicken rice lunch. Over lunch he told me, "Mike, you must remember that there is a fine line between being content and greedy. If you cross that line, greed takes over, and you will never be content with your life. Remember gratitude!”

That was Reggie. I got a raise after a while, but to this day, I remember his advice. Despite numerous challenges, I have always made sure that I was grateful for what I have. I am grateful for each day of my life.

Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square had one of the largest and busiest entertainment complexes in Bangkok. The hotel entertainment centre CM2 ( Siam Square), comprised a large nightclub/ discotheque, an Italian restaurant, a karaoke lounge, and a casual dining area. On a busy night like the previous night, we would accommodate 1,200 people. As the GM, it was a great source of revenue, but entertainment centres of that nature come with heavy stress. We had a full house, a busy lunch, and a packed night, and I was exhausted. I wanted to visit the gym followed by a swim.

I remember thinking that the elevator was shaky. I felt slightly dizzy, and I had not been drinking the previous night! When I came down to the floor where the pool and gym were, I realised that the pool was starting to overflow. I called the building management office, and while waiting for the staff, I was looking at the TV screen. All of a sudden, there was a news flash about a tsunami that had struck the south of Thailand and several other countries. At first, I was trying to understand what a Tsunami was. I was also not totally on board with the context and the magnitude of the event.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that the South of Thailand had?been severely hit. Oh my God, what about Khao Lak! I quickly called Reggie, and his voicemail was on, "This is Reggie Shiu. I am not available to take your call now; please leave a message". I left a message asking him to call me back. By now, the news channels were awash with news about the Tsunami, and the images were just terrifying. Khao Lak had been badly impacted. I was petrified and kept calling Reggie over and over again only to hear the same voice message, but I kept on leaving messages. I then called Goran, the GM, but no one was picking up the phone.?

By now, I was seriously panicking, but knowing Reggie, I was imagining that he must be busy managing the crisis. As the most senior Accor executive on site, he would have taken control of the situation and was obviously not able to answer calls. I then called Victor Pang, Development Manager for Accor, but he also knew only as much as I knew.?

By late afternoon, the battery must have run out of power, and there was no more voicemail from Reggie. By now, the information we were receiving was that the hotel had been destroyed, and several dead bodies of employees and hotel guests were being found. Khao Lak was in a catastrophic state. When I finally managed to get through to Oswald Pichler, the Director of Operations for Accor Thailand, he sounded ominous. Reggie, Grace and the two boys could not be located, but little Zoe was found unharmed. My immediate reaction was that I should fly out to Phuket, which is the nearest airport to Khao Lak. However, by late afternoon, Oswald had received information that I should remain on site as NBSS would be used as an emergency coordination centre to accommodate as many evacuees as possible.? Accor Head Office executives from Paris, Sydney and Bangkok would be involved. As the GM, I had to create as much space as we could to accommodate the arriving evacuees and ramp up support staff for the crisis situation.

I will not go into details about my personal situation, trauma, and the after effects, but leave this to the reader's imagination.

The Tsunami took the lives of approx. 225,000 in different parts of the World. The lives of hundreds and thousands of others were severely impacted for years to come. The pain will not leave those who were affected.

I will never forget Reggie as an incredible Boss, a genuine friend, and an amazing human being. His life was taken away when he was just 41 years old, together with Grace and their boys. ?

References:?

“The tsunami caused one of the largest?natural disasters?in recorded history, killing at least 225,000 people across a dozen countries, with?Indonesia,?Sri Lanka,?India,?Maldives, and?Thailand?sustaining?massive damage”. https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Ocean-tsunami-of-2004

“Reggie not only grew the Accor hotel portfolio,?he?built relationships with some of China's leading hotel and travel groups. He was a master at developing and building relationships,?and he was widely respected throughout China and the whole Asia Pacific region”. https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4021746.html

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