Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui – an inspiration to us all
In loving memory of Dusit's founder and leading pioneer of Thailand's hospitality industry.
On Sunday 3 May 2020 we lost a legend.
Dusit's founder, Thanpuying Chanut Piyaoui, peacefully passed away at the age of 99 after a life well and truly lived.
Our thoughts and hearts are with Khun Chanin, Khun Sinee and their families as they mourn the loss yet celebrate the life of this truly remarkable lady whose loving heart, caring spirit, and unique vision for Thai hospitality form the very foundations of everything that Dusit does.
Nicknamed by the media as the ‘Iron Butterfly' of Thailand for her unique strength of character, Thanpuying Chanut will forever be remembered as one of the nation's most respected businesswomen, a leading pioneer of its hospitality industry, and a highly respected mother figure for us all.
The fact that she singlehandedly established her own company in 1948, opened her first hotel, The Princess, in 1949, went on to open the five-star Dusit Thani Bangkok, in 1970, and then took Thai hospitality globally, are all testament to her sheer determination to always work with passion and purpose for the betterment of others, no matter how many challenges she faced.
Back when Thanpuying Chanut was starting out, Thailand was very much a male-dominated society. Women entrepreneurs were scarce. And women just didn't open hotels. But Thanpuying Chanut did.
Inspired by the hotels she had visited while studying in the United States, Thanpuying Chanut believed that Thailand could one day become a successful and thriving tourist destination. And she believed the best way to foster this growth would be by opening hotels that offered international standards of service, but which also distinguished themselves by placing Thai-inspired gracious hospitality at their core. She had the passion, drive, and can-do attitude to create these hotels herself. And, in doing so, she forever changed Thailand's hospitality landscape and helped to put the kingdom on the map as a must-visit tourist destination.
In line with her philosophy to be bold and do great things, to create things that never existed before, and to always conduct business with honour, Thanpuying Chanut never set out simply to make money. She made it her mission to always put people and community first.
As she expanded Dusit's business throughout Thailand and internationally, she would always help to promote tourism in each location by working hard to gain government support for the development of important infrastructure. And she made it clear that Dusit's operations must always have a positive local impact, wherever we are in the world.
To ensure the sustainable development of Thailand's tourism and hospitality industry overall, she also initiated Dusit's expansion into hospitality education, with the opening of the Dusit Thani College, in 1993. "If Thailand is to be among the world's leaders in the hotel and hospitality industry," she had said, "the education and training of staff will always be of the highest importance." Thus Dusit became the first Thai company to build a school for the industry at large.
In recognition of Ms Chanut's significant contribution to Thailand's hospitality industry, on 5 May 2000, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great conferred upon Ms Chanut the highest royal decoration for a civilian: Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, Higher Grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao. And with this, this right to bear the title ‘Thanpuying,' the equivalent of ‘Dame.'
In further recognition of her efforts, in February 2018 she also received the prestigious SHTM Lifetime Achievement Award from the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The award honours outstanding figures who have contributed substantially to the development of hospitality and tourism worldwide.
Though Dusit's esteemed founder now may be gone, her wonderfully caring spirit, holistic approach to business, and distinctive vision to uniquely deliver Thai-inspired gracious hospitality to the world will continue to inform everything that Dusit does, and inspire us to reach greater heights together.
She is truly an inspiration to us all, and, through all of us here at Dusit, her legacy will live on.