THE FOUNDER
Danai Wansom
President & Chief Executive Officer

APRIME’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Danai Wansom specializes in developing positioning strategies and is responsible for the corporate management, situation audit and, overall operation and strategic planning in APRIME.

A graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in the U.S., Danai has over 32 impressive years of career in the hotel industry starting with the Hyatt International, Bangkok in 1974, following graduation from Assumption Commercial College, Bangkok. Achieving the top posts early in his career, he assumed the title of General Manager for the Rama Hat Yai Hotel under Ramada Affiliations during 1980-1982.

Fresh from his management role, Danai took over the directorship of the sales and marketing for the Hyatt Central Plaza Bangkok and Bangkok Convention Centre. Starting as Director of Sales & Marketing, he culminated his 5-year career with the chain from 1983-1988 and continued for another 3 years as the hotel’s Resident Manager for the property. His tenure of working with Hyatt provided him extensive international exposure beneficial to becoming a full-fledged marketer, as he went through professional involvements and business travels to the network of properties, offices and affiliations of the chain within Asia, Europe and the United States.

It was during 1991-1998 when a successful corporate post overseas further highlighted his career achievements. Danai was then appointed by Century International Hotels as Senior Vice President for Marketing & Sales based in its corporate headquarters in Hong Kong. Overseeing the planning and implementation of marketing policies and strategies and, monitoring market positioning and trends, his 8 prolific years with Century accelerated the rapid growth of the chain’s acquisition of properties. From merely one hotel when it was originally founded in 1991, the same year that he joined, Century grew and flourished to 26 properties in 8 countries in 1996. Danai marketed his way through the varied management cultures of the different countries in his venture to acquire the properties in China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Danai also was involved in joint marketing with company associates in Japan and Australia.

Under his leadership, Century International Hotels gained instant recognition as a marketing-driven hotel management company. Proof positive were prestigeous marketing excellence awards garnered, namely: the 1996 PATA Travel Mart Professionalism Award; 1996 Best Marketing Efforts Award from TIME; and the 1997 Marketing award at Hong Kong, ITE. His brainchild, “Beat Currency Crisis” campaign in 1997, received maximum media coverage, including a TV report in Hong Kong and a special report in the Sunday Times, New York.

In 1998, Danai took on a dual role as he assumed the post of General Manager to oversee the Delta Grand Pacific Hotel in Bangkok, in addition to his role as Senior Vice President – Marketing & Sales with Century International Hotels and Delta Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific. It was a compelling and worthwhile challenge doing a market development scheme at macro level in contrast with the microenvironment faced by hotel operations. In two years, he turned around the hotel with an increase of 82% in Gross Operating Profit. He also assisted in launching the Furama brand to replace all Delta properties in Asia when Lai Sun Development Public Company in Hong Kong decided to focus on the Asian brand.

Danai founded and established APRIME Hotels & Resorts in 2001 to manage hotel properties in Thailand that require a management style tailor-made to a property’s individual characteristic and appeal. Foreseeing ‘quality’ and ‘value’ as the continuing key customer demands for Asian hospitality in the next decade, he pointed out the virtually unlimited potentials in operating the hotel business in Thailand. APRIME as a Thai-based management company has been carefully designed to operate and fill in the needs of a wide and profitable market niche within Thailand’s hospitality industry. In the most cost-effective way, APRIME will provide hotel and resort owners with the standard management expertise coupled with consultancy or marketing services that are streamlined to fit into the specific requirements and features distinct to each property. This forms the basis in establishing a unique image for each property, helping owners to attract the potential customers and generate a high rate of profit return along the way.

As an outstanding Thai hotelier in the industry, Danai is an experienced speaker at hotel development conferences in Asia. He has also spoken at travel industry conferences for IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizations), SITE (Society of Incentives and Travel Executives), PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) and IHRA (International Hotels & Resorts Association). His industry accolades and awards are enforced with his continued contributions in the development of tourism and hospitality, through his memberships in travel associations based in the country and internationally.

Danai is presently Member of the Board of Directors, PATA Thailand Chapter and Chairman for Industry Relations and: Member Industry Council Proxy to the Board of Directors, Member of the Industry Council and Marketing Advisory Committees of PATA International. His past contributions among others were Chairman of Executive Committee, PATA Thailand Chapter; Board Director of PATA International and Tourism Council of Thailand; Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Marketing Committee, TICA (Thailand Incentive & Convention Association); Vice Chairman, ICCA Thailand (International Congress and Conference Association); Director, Skal Club of Thailand and, Founder member and various chairmanships of Rotary Bangkaen.