She Spent 17 Years in a Spa. Then Covid Changed Everything. 

For seventeen years, Khun Anny, or Adchara Satienvaree, lived almost entirely in the world of spa hospitality. 

Soft music. Scented oils. Calm voices. Smiling guests. 

Every day followed the same rhythm. She arrived at 10 in the morning and often left close to 10 at night. As Spa Manager at Samutra Spa inside what was then The Tide Resort, she spent years managing staff, greeting guests, creating promotions, solving problems, and making sure every detail felt calm and beautiful.  

“It was tiring,” she admits. “But it was also fun.”  

Then Covid arrived. 

Almost overnight, the spa industry stopped moving. Treatments were suspended. Customers disappeared. Staff returned home to their provinces. The business that had shaped most of her adult life suddenly became uncertain.  

At the same time, another department inside the hotel urgently needed help. 

Accounting. 

The transition made little sense to most people around her. How does someone move from massage oils and guest relations to spreadsheets, tax documents, and financial reports? 

For Anny, the answer was simple. 

“You just have to adapt,” she says.  

Today, she works as Team Leader of Account Receivables and Income at Amari Bangsaen, overseeing revenue reports, invoices, and financial records across the hotel. Every morning begins with numbers. Room revenue. Restaurant revenue. Spa revenue. Tax documents. System checks. Reports sent directly to management.  

It is a completely different life from the one she once knew. 

Back then, her days revolved around guests. Now, they revolve around numbers. 

“At first it felt strange,” she says. “But now I enjoy the calmness of it.”  

The irony is that accounting was actually where she started her career long before entering hospitality. Years ago, before joining the hotel, she worked in accounting for a construction company in Chonburi.  

Then hospitality pulled her in. And for nearly two decades, she stayed. 

Not because the work was easy. But because she loved the atmosphere. 

“I like beautiful, clean, peaceful places,” she says. “That’s why I loved spa work.”  

Over time, regular guests became familiar faces. Some returned again and again until the relationship felt personal. The spa stopped feeling like a workplace and became something closer to home.  

Perhaps that is why she struggled emotionally watching the old property age over the years. 

Before the transformation into Amari Bangsaen, she often walked through the hotel late at night as Manager on Duty after finishing spa operations.

She checked lights, public areas, bathrooms, and corridors to make sure everything remained presentable for guests.  

During those quiet walks, she noticed every crack, every faded wall, every worn corner. 

“I felt sorry for the building sometimes,” she says honestly. “It looked old and tired.”  

So when the owners decided to bring in ONYX Hospitality Group and transform the property into Amari Bangsaen, she felt relief more than fear. 

The renovation changed almost everything. Guest rooms. Restaurants. Meeting spaces. Swimming pool. Landscaping. Interiors.  

Watching the transformation felt strangely emotional for her. 

“It felt like seeing your own home become beautiful again,” she says.  

That attachment runs deeper because Bangsaen is not simply where she works. 

It is where she was born. 

Anny grew up nearby in Ang Sila and has never worked outside Chonburi province. Her parents still live there. After work, she drives home in less than fifteen minutes.  

Many friends her age moved to Bangkok years ago. Some still spend hours trapped in traffic every day. Others rent small apartments far from family. 

Anny chose differently. 

“I never felt I needed to leave,” she says.  

Instead, she stayed and watched Bangsaen change around her. 

She remembers when the beach area was far quieter, before cafés, restaurants, hotels, and tourism transformed the coastline. Over time, new businesses arrived, investment increased, and the city evolved into a far more vibrant destination.  

In the mornings, she still sees local residents jogging along the beach before sunrise. Later come tourists searching for seafood lunches, coffee shops, and sea views. By evening, the beach becomes crowded with families, groups of friends, and weekend visitors who stay late into the night.  

She speaks about Bangsaen with the pride of someone protecting home rather than promoting a destination. 

That same mindset shapes the way she approaches work too. 

“We have to do our best for the people who trust us,” she says.  

It is a simple philosophy. But perhaps that is why she has stayed for twenty years. 

Not because change never happened. 

In fact, her career changed completely. 

But because through every transformation, from spa manager to finance leader, from The Tide Resort to Amari Bangsaen, one thing remained the same. 

She never stopped treating the hotel like home. 

Story: Sue Rattanamahattana • Photography: Poonsawat Sudtama

ABOUT HEARTMADE 

Created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of ONYX Hospitality Group, Heartmade is a series of heartfelt stories inspired by the people who make every stay memorable, from dedicated team members to cherished guests across Amari, OZO, Shama, Oriental Residence, as well as our spa and dining brands.

Through personal memories, meaningful connections, and moments of genuine care, the series celebrates the warmth and spirit of hospitality that have brought people together for six decades. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories from the Heartmade series.