Bangkok Oriental faces lawsuit

The luxury hotel business is a cut-throat one, but the general manager of Bangkok’s renowned Oriental Hotel, Kurt Wachtveitl may have taken a step over the line, far enough to land him in a Bangkok criminal court facing a defamation suit.

The suit was filed by a local competitor, the Iebua Hotel after Mr. Wachtveitl was said to have defamed the competitor in an internal memo to Oriental employees. The alleged defamation in the memo was in reference to Iebua being on the lookout for qualified hotel staff, and if any of their management team were seen on Oriental premises, they should be escorted out immediately.

The concern came after Wachtveitl believed the Peninsula Hotel had been ‘poached’ of 26 employees by Iebua, and he was concerned the oriental would be targeted next. The lawsuit is the first of its kind for Thailand, but if it is successful, it could set a nasty precedent that anyone who looks at you funny could be sued, in a manner of speaking.