Scot Toon seems to have an explorer's soul, he never shies away from any opportunity as long as it is aimed towards a vision that goes "even further". It is no coincidence, that The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts chose him in 2018 as Managing Director, Asia. Indeed, the brand - present in Europe and Asia - is positioned as a leader in terms of openness, curiosity, and communion. A fusion of natural, social, and cultural environment which is expressed in the geographical, economic, and aesthetic choices of this collection gives us a glimpse of the luxury hospitality of tomorrow. Scot Toon presents himself today at vendom.jobs with wit and humour.
The Pavilions Amsterdam, The Toren
Vendom.jobs - Could you tell us about the main steps of your career? Why this passion for luxury hospitality?
Scot Toon - I started in airlines, before moving into hotels and to the famous Hayman Island in Australia, I feel in love with the island life and my Director at the time told me never to work in less than 5 star. I eventually moved to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Phuket, opening, and managing 5-star island resorts. I grew up as an expat and so travel, hotels and airlines were in my blood and enjoyed it so much, it is all I wanted to do.
V.J. - Having a look at The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts collection, we directly feel that every destination and experience is unique. What is the vision that connects all those places?
S. T. - Correct all our properties are unique but are connected to the destination and offer true experiences of the destination, both within the hotel or resort and outside. We launched at the end of last year our curated journeys where we have created journeys for our guests based on different themes, like a chef or into the wild. They can personalise their journeys with our local guest experience teams. Our properties are boutique an offer guests the opportunity of not just a room or suite to stay in but an experience of the destination. For example, our Amsterdam hotel is on the canals in a historic canal house that was once part of the original art school of the university. So, you can experience a true canal house and the history as well as exploring the city and some hidden gems that our guest experience team have found for guests.
The Pavilions Bali
V.J. - Design, nature, culture, … notions that seem to be central for The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts brand. Could you tell us about current local actions of the group regarding preservation, conservation, local economy… ?
S. T. - Part of our values is our sense of community, all our properties and team members are involved in supporting different community organisations. Our Nepal resort in the Himalayas is a place guests can really experience this. We support and have developed a hotel school for the local village children in need of skills development. We then employ them in the hotel. We have a farm where we employ local villagers to work and learn farming techniques. We produce our own gas from the farm animals’ manure to power the kitchen. Within our Phuket property we work with local charity organisations and run events to raise money to operate schools for immigrant children who cannot access the Thai schools. This week we are opening the restaurant for an event to raise funds for an elephant rehabilitation camp.
The Pavilions Rome, The First Arte
V.J. - What is your point of view about the current situation of the Asian market?
S. T. - These as we know are unprecedented times. We have always looked to be thinking ahead and continue to evolve what we do as a hotel and as a business delivering guest experiences. Now more so than ever we have been looking at ways to evolve the business. In Phuket we now rent out unused office space to digital nomads or people working from Phuket currently. We are also looking at our kitchen spaces and have plans for these to generate income other than the past norm. We still have many months to go before we see normal unrestricted travel happening I believe (unfortunately). However, our S&M team is working hard to build on our local demand and preparing strategies for all markets as things return. It will be only a few markets that we see returning initially and growing over the next 18 months.
V.J. - In what way do you think The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts could keep on standing out?
S. T. - Evolving and being an experience led hotel group will still continue to see us stand out. We continue to grow our group. As an owner operator and now with management and franchise properties joining our portfolio, we see a bright future for dynamic, quick moving and experience style hotels and resorts. We are working on increasing our experience offerings for guests, you will see this coming out by the end of the year.
The Pavilions Phuket
V.J. - What could be the next development of the brand in Asia?
S. T. - Planes, trains, and automobiles? Not quite, but as we now are actively growing from 12 Hotels & Resorts with the addition of The Pavilions El Nido Palawan Island due to open in 2022. We are looking for owners and developers of unique boutique hotels and resorts that want the support and value of a boutique global hotel brand through either full management or we also now offer franchise agreements. We really like Vietnam and Laos within Asia, plus the pacific island, New Zealand, and Australia on this side of the world.
V.J. - Thanks to The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts collection we have the feeling that nothing is impossible to curious and open-minded people. What is the typology of your customers?
S. T. - Our guests are comfortable drinking champagne and enjoying dinner at our Michelin star restaurant on the roof top of The Pavilions - The First Arte in Rome and riding horses across deserts and exploring Mongolia from our pop-up camp at The Pavilions Mongolia.
The Pavilions Himalayas, Lakeview
V.J. - How do you think travelling, especially luxury travels and sojourns, could evolve after this difficult period?
S. T. - People will want to spend time with friends and family when they travel. But they will want to explore further than before, so experiences will be important. Our Private pool villas in Bali and Phuket will also be popular accommodation, for space and privacy. They will want to experience life and will not be all about the room.
V.J. - What is your recruitment policy? What kind of benefits do you offer to your co-workers?
S. T. - We look for people who are positive energies, who care for people and want to see guests leave with a smile and memories. We want the right people for the right job. They must be proficient in their area, not necessarily qualified with a piece of paper. We like to employ local wherever possible, as its part of the experience to talk to locals first-hand.
V.J.- The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts destinations are synonyms of unexpected and luxurious paradise. What could be, personally, yours?
S. T. - Fun, creative and social.
(Photo credit: The Pavilions Hotels & Resorts)
