The Lady Behind Café Claire’s Quiet Luxury
When Aom or Tirayu Witahayotin first walked into a hotel interview more than a decade ago, she thought there was only one department worth applying for.
Front Office.
That was the only hotel role she recognised.
She had never worked in hospitality before. She did not understand restaurant operations, reservations or luxury service standards. And when Human Resources asked whether she might be interested in becoming a hostess instead, her first reaction was confusion.
“What does a hostess actually do?” she remembers asking.
Today, Aom oversees multiple dining operations at Oriental Residence Bangkok as Food and Beverage Manager, managing every F&B outlet from Café Claire and Oriental Bar to breakfast service, banquets and in room dining.
But her route into hospitality was anything but straightforward.
Before hotels, Aom worked in corporate communications after graduating in Mass Communication from Ramkhamhaeng University. Later, she moved into executive assistant roles for foreign executives, hoping to use English more regularly and build an international career.
At first, the idea felt exciting. Then the reality arrived.
“The work followed you all the time,” she says. “It was not only office work anymore. It became part of your whole life.”
Wanting a bigger change, she later applied to become cabin crew with Qatar Airways. To her surprise, she passed round after round of interviews until reaching the final stage.
Friends and family were convinced she would get the job.
Aom was not so sure.
During the final interview, she struggled badly with the interviewer’s accent and could barely understand some of the questions being asked.
“I already knew at that moment that I probably would not pass,” she says honestly.
When the rejection arrived, it hit harder than she expected.
For the first time, she found herself completely unsure what direction her career should take next.
That uncertainty eventually led her towards hospitality.
What began as a temporary opportunity quickly became something much bigger.
Her first role at a renowned French restaurant in Silom, completely changed the way she saw food and service. Unlike corporate life, restaurants felt energetic, emotional and unpredictable. Every shift brought new people, new pressure and new stories.
Most importantly, she realised she genuinely loved food.
Not casually. But obsessively.
At the French restaurant she used to work at, the opening team underwent intensive training before launch. Cooking techniques, ingredients, wine knowledge, pronunciation and French dining culture became part of daily life.
For Aom, who had entered hospitality with almost no food and beverage background, it felt overwhelming at first.
French cuisine especially seemed intimidating.
“The terminology was difficult. Everything sounded complicated,” she says.
But slowly, curiosity replaced fear.
Years later, when Café Claire transitioned into a French bistro concept, Aom found herself reopening old training notes she had kept from her French restaurant days.
“It felt like reconnecting with something familiar again,” she says.
Much of her role today involves helping younger service teams overcome the same intimidation she once felt herself.
French menu terminology, cooking techniques and wine knowledge can easily feel inaccessible to staff members who have never worked with European cuisine before. Aom often breaks things down into simpler explanations, helping the team understand not just what dishes are called, but why they matter.
“If the team understands the food properly, they speak more naturally and confidently with guests,” she explains.
That confidence has become increasingly important as Café Claire evolves into a more refined French bistro experience.
The transition itself, however, came with tension.
Back then, many returning guests had grown familiar with the restaurant’s previous comfort food menu. Burgers, pasta and Thai dishes had become part of their routine visits. Suddenly introducing a more focused French concept meant some guests felt surprised or even resistant at first.
Aom found herself constantly balancing concept integrity with guest expectations.
Some guests embraced the change immediately.
Others did not.
“You cannot force guests to like something new immediately,” she says. “We need to give them time.”
That balancing act extends far beyond the menu.
One of the biggest operational challenges at Oriental Residence Bangkok is breakfast service at Café Claire. The restaurant’s intimate size creates warmth and elegance, but during peak hours, demand can exceed seating capacity quickly.
And unlike larger hotels, luxury hospitality comes with its own invisible rules.
“You cannot place big signs everywhere telling guests what to do,” Aom explains. “It changes the feeling.”
Instead, her team relies heavily on communication, observation and memory.
At breakfast, staff members quietly remember returning guests’ coffee preferences, favourite dishes and dining habits without needing to ask repeatedly. Some guests like specific teas with exact amounts of honey and lemon. Others order the same breakfast every morning without even opening the menu.
The team remembers.
And when something goes wrong, Aom notices immediately.
Recently, a guest became visibly frustrated after experiencing crowded breakfast periods two days in a row. Rather than simply apologising and moving on, the team paid closer attention during the guest’s next visit.
During conversation, they casually learned it was her birthday the following morning. Without being asked, the team prepared a cake and handwritten card.
When they surprised her at breakfast, the guest burst into tears.
“She said she did not expect anyone to remember,” Aom says, smiling.
For her, moments like that define hospitality far more than polished interiors or expensive ingredients ever could.
Still, food remains deeply personal to her.
Ask which dishes she recommends at Café Claire and her entire energy changes instantly. She begins talking passionately about rich French onion soup, deeply flavoured duck confit and beef tartare balanced with sharp acidity and spice.
She speaks less like an F&B manager and more like someone who genuinely loves food and eating.
That love began long before luxury hotels.
Raised largely by her grandmother, much of Aom’s childhood revolved around helping prepare meals at home. Markets, ingredients and cooking became part of daily life without her even realising how much they were shaping her.
Looking back now, she sometimes wonders whether she should have become a chef instead.
Then she laughs.
“I discovered it too late,” she says.
Perhaps not entirely.
Because after years in hospitality, Aom has learned something many people never fully understand: food is rarely only about food.
It is about comfort, memory, emotion and the feeling that someone cared enough to pay attention.
Explore more: ONYX Dining
Book your stay: Oriental Residence Bangkok
Book your table: Cafe Claire
Story: Sue Rattanamahattana • Photography: Poonsawat Sudtama, ONYX Hospitality Group
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.