It was August 2021 and we were still in the tail end of  the pandemic. However it seemed as though the hotel I was managing would be able to re-open again in early September. We had been closed since the 12th of May.

The vaccine roll out in Malaysia was taking hold. The government regulated that hospitality staff needed to be double vaccinated before they could serve guests. The challenge for us at the hotel was that different vaccines had different intervals between first and second doses. Most of my staff had been given Astra Zeneca which had a long interval between shots. It became obvious that if we were to re-open suddenly, we wouldn’t have enough double vaccinated staff to service the expected strong pick up in business. Still, pushed by the owner, we set the reopening target date as the 17th of September.

We then played a juggling game between taking rooms bookings and managing our capacity to service the business. The owner, and one of his key staff in particular, were pushing to get everything open again. I explained that we simply didn’t have the ability to service the demand that was materialising, due to the low number of fully vaccinated staff and the specific Government requirement relating to it. We soon would, but not until early October.

We were still on pay cuts. I explained to the owner that if they could afford it, they should put everyone back on full pay to motivate them more. This argument and restrictions on staffing due to government regulations, didn’t sit well with some of the owning company team. At one point I was accused of lying about how I was handling our bookings management. I took offence to this and challenged them with the facts, yet I was still diplomatic in doing so.

The clock was ticking. The owner and my management company agreed that my last working day would be Friday, the 15th of October. The incoming general manager couldn’t start until November 1. I suggested to the owner to keep me on until then, but was told ‘indirectly’ through my Director of HR that there was no need. There would be a period without a hotel GM.

My senior managers started to get nervous. They were concerned that a director or senior person from the owning company would move in to fill the vacuum. I was also a little concerned about this, but tried to reassure them it would not be the case.

We got closer to being at capacity and my contract end date was fast approaching. Bookings were going through the roof but we still didn’t have any where near enough staff to service more guests. At least not in a manner that would meet the standards of service expected by my management company. The owner was pushing to take more business, but I pushed back to protect the reputation of the hotel and allow the staff to get up to speed, albeit under pressure. We just needed to find more staff, and fast.

So much paperwork needed to secure the visa.

In the first week of October I had picked up the process of securing my entry visa for Thailand. My new hotel and employer had done their part to obtain the necessary paperwork for the WP3 form, a pre visa hurdle. The Area GM in Thailand to whom I would report, as well as the Area Director of Human Resources, were both supportive.

At least in this area, things seemed to be proceeding quite smoothly. I went to the Thai consulate in Penang to double check the visa requirements and collated everything I needed for the final visa application. Then, first thing on Friday the 8th, I trotted along to the consulate with all my papers ready to meet the immigration officer and make my submission.

‘Road block’.

The staff at the gate wouldn’t let me in as I wasn’t double vaccinated. WTF. How was I supposed to submit my paperwork? Mad panic. I appealed. I pleaded. They didn’t want to hear it and pretty much pushed me aside. I persisted.

Then a gentleman who was also waiting in line suggested I call the consular officer directly and pointed to a telephone number on a notice. I did and was able to reach somebody who was very helpful. This very kind officer said a senior security person would come down and collect my paperwork, but she also wanted to see the TVM dossier that I had prepared earlier and brought along just in case. (see part 1). Sure enough, a friendly security officer came out, collected all my paperwork, my TVM dossier and disappeared.

He returned a short while later and asked me which flight I was planning to take. I told him. About 10 minutes later he came back with a slip of paper and told me my visa would be ready for collection on Monday morning. There, done.

My god, what a relief. If I had given up due to the shocking attitude of the local staff on the gate, and if I had not prepared my TVM dossier, I would probably have been been stuck in Penang for weeks wondering how the hell I was ever going to get into Thailand…

I went and collected my visa on Monday afternoon. The next step was to apply for the certificate of entry (COE). This had to be done online. Still, I had all the necessary requirements so I started the application process through the Thai Immigration website.

Hand carved Malaysian pewter jewellery.

Before I knew it, my last week at work had arrived. I was supposed to have a farewell dinner with my senior management team at the hotel, away from everything, but then it got very busy. To complicate matters the owners management also checked into the hotel and were quite active.

I was hoping to catch up with the MD, a really decent guy who, I have to say, seemed to be the only person in the owning company who understood hotels, but unfortunately we didn’t the chance.

At the start of my final week, one of the owners team told me straight up that it wasn’t necessary for me to come in to work any more and that I should prepare to move out of my residence on the weekend and get ready for my transfer to Thailand. I explained this was neither realistic nor practical, as there was so much that had to be handed over and finalised before the full reopening of the hotel. Their apparent lack of understanding regarding the complexity of the operation and its requirements was quite surprising.

Due to the pick up in bookings, the short staffing, and other pressures, I told my senior team that we would postpone the planned farewell dinner event to the following week, after I had left. A bad decision as it turned out.

Then I received notification online that my COE had been rejected.

I wasn’t vaccinated and the consular authorities needed more time and information in order to review my case. I duly uploaded my TVM dossier and everything else I had along with a covering email. I didn’t get an immediate response, but kind of expected that.

Peranakan beaded shoe foot strap.

Throughout the last week I juggled my work commitments, relocation requirements, the application for my COE and other work related matters, including handover preparation for the incoming GM.

Through a contact, I was even able to find a nice house in Krabi in a villa complex not too far from my new hotel. I was very happy about that.

Then it was Friday. All over, so I cleaned up my office that afternoon and left.

There was no farewell event or anything, just a few hurried ‘goodbye’s, as people were too busy and the owners team were keeping everyone on their toes. My Director of HR had passed me two lovely gifts, local craft works, on behalf of all the staff. These were now safely tucked away ready for the removal company to pack.

Even though my contract had finished, the owner agreed to let me stay in the house I had been living in until the following Monday, at which time the land lord was going to do some minor rectification works. That was fine, I would move into the hotel. I could use my comp stay entitlement if necessary, though I just expected the company would accommodate me as they usually would for any hotel GM under such circumstances. That is the usual industry practice.

I actually knew Mr. Yap, the contractor who was planing to do the work for the landlord, so I called him to check on the scope of work. It wasn’t that much and was not going to be intrusive. Excellent, all good, so Lucy (my dog) and I would stay in the house until at least the end of the week. Cool, though I didn’t tell the owner, there was no need. Then I would arrange for Lucy to get picked up and hopefully get my COE approved and fly off into the sunset. At least, that was the plan.

The removal company came on Saturday the 16th and packed everything up, all 41 boxes of it. I still don’t know how I had managed to accumulate that much extra stuff in three years. Lucy and I watched them leave and I felt everything was set.

I called the consulate the following Tuesday to follow up and was told my application had been referred to the department of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, and that I needed to wait for their reply. Foreign Affairs. Seriously?

And then the wheels fell off.