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TIRAWAN “WAEW” TAECHAUBOL has quietly revolutionized the Thai hospitality industry over the past ten years, growing a devoted following for her small hotel group, Cape & Kantary. With 21 properties throughout the country, including luxury service hotels and residences as well as glorious island sanctuaries in both the north and south, Cape & Kantary has built a reputation as one of Thailand’s secret gems. Of course, the country has no shortage of luxury hotels: all the big brands have set up shop. However, Taechaubol’s properties provide the high-end razzle-dazzle international travelers have come to expect, paired with a healthy dose of real-world interaction — experiences that aren’t as isolating as those typically offered by the large chains.

During a whirlwind tour through Southeast Asia earlier this year, I made the snap decision to extend my journey to include a side trip to Thailand. It turned out to be a fortuitous one for many reasons. Not only was I able to have a few days eating incredible food and dipping into some of the most beautiful hotels I’d ever seen, but I also had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Taechaubol, the owner and project development manager of Cape & Kantary Hotels.

Though the company first came to be known for its service accommodations — luxury hotels and apartments designed to meet the needs of expats and business people working in Thailand — the brand’s vision evolved under Taechaubol’s direction. The marquee luxury properties, known as the Cape Hotel Collection, most closely reflect her personality and, as she sees it, most clearly amplify the landscape and culture of Thailand itself. The success of such properties — such as Cape Fahn on Koh Samui and Cape Kudu on the tiny island of Koh Yao Noi, halfway between Phuket and Krabi — not only has to do with the spectacular locations, but also with the curated blend of amenities and experiences. These are the sorts of places where you can have all the requisite beach moments and spa options Thailand is famous for. But you might also take a workshop with a local artisan or spend an afternoon with the fishermen who will be catching your dinner, which then might be served up for you in a nearby beach cave as the sun begins to set. The success of such properties and their offerings are deeply rooted in the communities that support them.

“It works because of the villages and the community,” she says. “There are places you can go, like in Phuket, and it’s hard to find a person who was actually born and raised there. But in a place like Cape Nidhra, about 80% of the staff live there. Their parents and grandparents live there, as do their children. It becomes like a family. Because the island is so small, I get to know everyone’s family, and I get invited to go and have dinner at their homes. I’m friends with all the fishermen. I spend a lot of time there, so we enrolled my son in the local school there, so he has friends all over the island. It becomes more than just business, which makes it feel really special to me.”

In the wake of the pandemic, the idea of traveling — even for the luxury consumer — has shifted significantly. Ocean views, infinity pools, and fine dining are expected but no longer enough. In this sense, Cape & Kantary properties are perfectly suited to the change. After the prolonged isolation of the pandemic , travelers are seeking less insular accommodations and activities that allow for more authentic connections with other people. “People like to experience real culture,” she says. “They actually want to talk to people, not just go to the pool, eat french fries, swim in the sea, and take photos. When given the opportunity, they really are interested in what the locals are like and how they live.”

Having roots within the local communities, as well as understanding the cultural specificities of each particular destination, which can vary greatly from northern to southern Thailand, are key components of the loyalty Cape & Kantary has cultivated with its visitors. Taechaubol credits the company’s success to staying small and nimble (which made eliminating single-use plastics a relatively painless move, for example). But she also cites inclusivity among her staff and a deep respect for the culture and history of Thai hospitality as some of Cape & Kantary’s hallmarks. Beyond that, she stresses that the most informative practice for anyone involved in the hospitality industry is simply being a curious traveler.

“When I travel, I like to see what other hotels are doing. But it’s also to discover what I want to experience myself as a traveler,” she explains. “You find things that you can take back with you. When we were in Cuba, my husband loved that the hotel had a cigar sommelier. We don’t have cigars at our Thailand hotels, but we do have a wide variety of fruit. So I kind of stole that idea a little bit. You are presented with this big basket with 20 different kinds of fruit inside, and then a fruit sommelier comes by and explains them to you — how to find them, how to best eat them. People love it. Most people don’t know that in Thailand, we don’t just have one type of banana, we have 10. Some are tiny, some are bigger than your arm. That’s the kind of thing people love to remember.”