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He himself must be used to heat, having spent nearly 25 years
in Asia-Pacific, including spells in Malaysia, Singapore, India
and Australia. He has been working in Thailand since 2003, at the
252-room Laguna Beach Resort.
From sinks to slopes
35 years in hotel business
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Like most, he had many dreams while growing up about what he wanted
to be. He once considered being a banker, then a sports teacher.
He even considered joining the army. Working in hotels was never
a part of his dream. Indeed, his eventual career choice was rather
unusual, given that no one else in his family had been in the hospitality
business.
He did however get some experience at an early age, spending his
summer holidays working in hotel kitchens to earn extra money for
winter skiing trips. By 1973 he was working in a hotel full-time.
“In the early days of my career there were times I wanted to
quit because I was working hard while my friends were out partying,”
he says. In the end, though, he became comfortable with his choice,
and has remained happily in the hotel business for nearly 35 years.
Traveling light
Mr Maggor with smiling reception
staff
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At the beginning of his career, he was chef de partie, sous chef
and then executive chef. Not surprisingly, perhaps, for someone
who came up through the F&B side of the business, he enjoys
cooking. “I love it. I like to have friends around and cook
for them.”
He has working in hotels in a dozen countries, on almost every
continents.“ Being in hotels has given me the opportunity to
travel the world, to work in and visit some of the best hotels in
the world. It has also given me the chance to learn about and appreciate
great food and wine.”
On the downside, Mr Magor, notes, is the fact that with greater
responsibility comes bigger luggage. “When I first started
out, I had just one suitcase. Then I acquired more stuff, and then
I got married and had half a container to take whenever I moved
to another hotel. The half container became a full container. These
days, we have to keep most of the stuff in one place because we
can’t move it around any more.”
With a big laugh, he adds that despite collecting all this stuff,
“during all this time I’ve managed to acquire only one
wife and one son”. His wife and son live in England, where
the boy is in school. He tries to see them as often as possible,
but being separated is another price to pay for his career choice.
A hotel for families
Anna, a baby elephant for breakfast
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Laguna
Beach Resort is well known for attracting conference groups,
couples, and especially families. It has a good children’s
club with three devoted ladies who entertain the youngsters with
games and fun activities, allowing their parents to take a break
and enjoy their holiday too.
“I’ve noticed that during holidays most daddies tend
to spend more time with their kids than they do at home. So mummy
gets more time to herself, to go to shops or spas or just relax,”
says Mr Magor.
One highlight for family guests is the hotel elephant. Everyday
at around 09:00, the elephant appears in the breakfast area, where
guests can feed it while having their own breakfast. At 15:00, guests
can swim with the elephant. “We give our guests the chance
to get close up and personal with the elephant. Most children have
probably seen elephants in the zoo but this is very different.
“One thing that always brings a big smile to my face is when
I see a new family checking in at the lobby in the morning. Their
jaws drop when they see our elephant walk in through the lobby on
the way to breakfast. The kids love it.
“At Laguna Beach Resort, the elephant comes in through the
front door, not the back,” he grins.
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