What is your full name and age? Bruce Dupuis, 52 years old
What is your current Job Position? General Manager of Sheraton Hua Hin Resort and Spa and Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas
How long have you lived in Hua Hin or been coming to Hua Hin? My family and I arrived to Hua Hin on July 1st this year. This is only our second time to visit Hua Hin
What did you know about Hua Hin before you moved here? Not much as I have only been working in Thailand for over a year. I knew it was a Royal City and I look forward to exploring our new home with my family.
What do you like most about your profession? Meeting people and travelling the world. My work gives me the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the people and culture in a country as I am embedded within. When you visit a country on vacation you really only get to see the surface of the destination. I also enjoy being a part of my guest’s vacations and celebrations. Delivering a great guest experience or delivering on a flawless event is very rewarding.
What do you like least about your profession? The hours can a bit long, and you are usually working when other people are off. However that is the nature of the hospitality industry. You either love it or hate it. I am fortunate I have a supportive family who are incredibly understanding.
What do you like most about Hua Hin? I have not been in Hua Hin long so it is difficult to say what I like most. However I do have a great team of associates who have welcomed my family and I into the Sheraton Hua Hin Resort and Spa and the Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas family with open arms. I look forward to working closely with the team of dedicated professionals
What is your favorite restaurant and why? (please don’t promote your own restaurants) Being a new comer I haven’t really had the opportunity to identify my favorites yet. Let’s talk again in a few months after I have eaten my way through the Hot Hua Hin Magazine restaurant guide
What do you like to do in your free time and why? Spend time with my family, play tennis with my son and trying to keep my 2 month old from crying nonstop. My wife and I enjoy entertaining at home with friends and family. It is sometimes difficult but it is crucial to your well-being to be able to find your work life balance. A wise person once said “very few people on their death bed say they wished they spent more time at work.”
What would you recommend to new-comers to do in Hua Hin and why? I think Hua Hin has a good mix of history and modernization. As a Royal City there are lots of historical features commemorating the Royal Family. The train station, palace and the first golf course in Thailand are just a few. Hua Hin also features new shopping centers, water parks, state of the art cinemas, animal sanctuaries and thriving night markets. Hua Hin is a comfortable driving distance from the chaos of Bangkok and offers the best of both city and resort living without all the commotion of some of Thailand’s more famous tourist destinations. It is full of small town charm and the residents offer genuine Thai hospitality.
Tell us a surprising fact that the public might not know about you? My wife and I are real dog lovers. At one point we had 8 boxers although our recent locations have not allowed us to have dogs.
What is the most outlandish thing you have ever done and why? Probably moving to Moscow in 1992 to open a fine dining room at a Canadian Russian joint venture hotel. I knew absolutely nothing about the country except for what I saw in the news which included people standing in line for bread and sugar. Not really a good sign for a culinary professional. I took the job because after going through all the interviewing process I was scared to say no. Looking back it was the best decision I have ever made. It opened my eyes to the rest of the world and jump started my career which has taken me to work in 9 countries. The decision was not without repercussions though as my Mother did not speak to me for a couple of weeks once I told her I accepted the job.