Hotelier Anchalika Kijkanakorn is rapidly expanding her hospitality projects beyond Aleenta resorts in Pranburi and Phuket along with her commitment to save the undersea environment, reveals Duangporn Choktippattana
Anchalika Kijkanakorn lived abroad for more than 20 years, half of which was spent in America pursuing her education. This international background has been an asset in her journey to becoming a hotelier as well as developing her consulting business to help other independent hotels modernise and upgrade their operations.
An MBA from University of South Carolina landed her a decade-long stint with GE Capital Financial Services, where she moved around conducting audits and financial assessments for clients in countries from Singapore to England. Her last workplace overseas was Honeywell Home and Building Control Services in Germany. In her 30s Anchalika left Europe to realise her dream to own and operate a boutique hotel in Thailand. Launched in 2003 her first project was Aleenta Hua Hin-Pranburi Resort and Spa. Converted from a relative’s vacation home, the resort initially had 10 rooms and a villa, but soon doubled in size along with the escalating popularity of the boutique hotel segment. Next, Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga Resort and Spa opened in 2006, set on Natai beach with 30 villas and residences. All the simple yet elegant rooms take in the breeze while providing an unobstructed view of the sea. “It creates a sensation of the outdoors being brought into your room,” she says.
It was through her Phuket establishment that Anchalika was inspired to take up an environmental cause. Since its founding, Aleenta Phuket has been buying food for baby turtles, which are fast vanishing from the area. From there she expanded her goal to, as she says, “keep anything related to the ocean pure.” To this end she founded the Pure Blue Foundation, raising 500,000 baht. Pure Blue is now working with Swiss-based firm Coral Reef Creator to restore depleted corals surrounding Aleenta Phuket using artificial structures. “The reef should be fully replenished in a year since electric current is used to stimulate coral growth by 500 times,” she avers. “I’m not a green soldier,” she insists. "All hotels should join this cause as it’s in our best interest. If these natural attractions are not preserved we will lose our main selling point."
Meanwhile, the vivacious lady forays into hotel management by launching Akaryn Hospitality Management Services (AHMS). Its target customers being boutique hotels, AHMS aims to boost their competitiveness against large hotel chains by creating centralised systems for their operations, be it room reservation, sales or accounting. AHMS is opening Akyra Chura Samui on Chaweng beach in June, followed by Akaryn Samui on Chaeng Mon beach at year’s end. “We are looking at a project in Cambodia too,” Anchalika says.
Having learned the craft of being an hotelier through trial and error, she says, “I had my tough times while running Aleenta Pranburi. It was hard, sometimes menial work and I almost cried at the thought that I could no longer take holidays,” she laments. But she has no regrets now that she’s also a board member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. She has, however, relinquished some responsibilities to her team at AHMS, in part to have more time to spend with her two sons, two-year-old Akaryn Maxmilien and one-year-old Oscar Akyra.
Her husband of three years is Belgian finance expert Stephane de Baets, who runs OptAsia Capital investment bank in Bangkok. The family enjoys vacationing abroad, such as skiing in Europe. “My current priority is spending time with my loved ones,” Anchalika concludes.