Inside the Mind Behind Amaya’s Guest Experience 

Every morning before sunrise fully reaches Amari Bangkok, Jeffrey Andres is already thinking several steps ahead. 

How many guests are arriving for breakfast?
Will there be enough staff on both floors?
Which guest groups are checking in today?
Will the Indian section need expanding?
Are there enough Arabic dishes prepared?
Is the buffet flow moving naturally? 

For most guests walking into Amaya Food Gallery, breakfast simply appears effortless. 

That, Jeffrey says quietly, is exactly the point. 

“As long as guests feel comfortable, it means we are doing things correctly,” he says. 

Jeffrey now oversees food and beverage operations across multiple outlets at Amari Bangkok, including bars, restaurants and breakfast operations. But behind the calm professionalism is someone who has spent nearly two decades learning how hospitality is often built on details guests may never consciously notice. 

A missing spoon.
A confused guest standing at the buffet.
A stressed employee speaking too quickly.
A family quietly struggling at breakfast. 

For Jeffrey, these moments matter. 

“Guest satisfaction is not only about serving food,” he explains. “It is about understanding what people need before the situation becomes uncomfortable.” 

That instinct was not learned through hotel hospitality alone. 

Jeffrey grew up in Manila, where his mother ran a small local restaurant that supported the family. From the age of nine, he was already helping both in the kitchen and serving guests whenever he was not at school. 

“We did not have much,” he says. “So helping my mother became normal for me.” 

Long before luxury hospitality entered his life, Jeffrey had already learned something essential:
food and service are deeply emotional. 

After beginning his professional career as a banquet waiter in Manila, he moved to Thailand in his early twenties, starting again at a resort in Phuket. Every few years, another opportunity appeared. Supervisor. Restaurant manager. Pre opening projects. Luxury resorts across Thailand and Vietnam. 

Slowly, his career expanded alongside his responsibilities. 

But some of the most difficult moments arrived much later. 

After Covid 19, Jeffrey accepted a role in the Maldives while his wife and children remained in Thailand. For two years, he lived away from his family while working in island resorts welcoming guests from around the world. 

The experience changed him. 

One memory still stays with him today. 

A family had arrived at the resort with a mother battling cancer. Jeffrey noticed that some mornings she was too weak to come downstairs for breakfast, and when she stayed in the room, their young son often refused to eat as well. 

Instead of treating it as another service request, Jeffrey began quietly arranging breakfast deliveries for the family himself. 

On their final evening at the resort, he prepared a private dinner setup on the beach without charging them. 

When the family arrived, the mother began crying before even sitting down at the table. 

“I realised it was probably one of the last important trips they would ever take together,” he says softly. “I just wanted them to have one beautiful memory as a family.” 

For Jeffrey, hospitality is not performance. 

It is emotional intelligence. 

That philosophy now shapes the way he approaches operations at Amari Bangkok. 

One of his biggest focuses has been redesigning the breakfast experience at Amaya Food Gallery at Amari Bangkok. Much of the buffet layout, flow and food arrangement has been carefully reconsidered to make the guest journey feel smoother and less stressful, especially during busy mornings. 

To most guests, it may simply feel intuitive. 

But Jeffrey thinks about movement constantly. 

If guests collect cereal, milk and toppings, those items should naturally sit together. Bread should connect logically to salads and cold cuts. Coffee stations should remain grouped in one area rather than spread throughout the restaurant. 

The goal is simple: reduce confusion and create comfort.

“The less guests need to search for things, the more relaxed the experience becomes,” he explains. 

That same thinking extends to menu planning. 

Because Amari Bangkok welcomes guests from across the world, Jeffrey constantly studies changing travel patterns and adjusts breakfast offerings accordingly. When more Middle Eastern guests arrive, Arabic breakfast dishes expand. When Indian groups increase, the Indian section grows. At other times, the focus may shift more heavily towards Asian cuisine. 

“It always depends on who our guests are,” he says. “You have to understand the people in front of you.” 

Despite overseeing large scale operations today, Jeffrey still speaks most passionately about people rather than systems. 

He talks about encouraging younger staff. Helping nervous employees build confidence. Teaching teams how to stay calm during pressure. Reminding them that hospitality is not only about completing tasks. 

“You must watch your guests,” he says. “Not only your work.” 

Even during difficult shifts, he encourages his team to protect their mindset. 

“If a guest gives negative energy, do not carry it with you,” he says. “Turn it into something lighter and continue moving.” 

At home, Jeffrey’s world becomes much quieter. 

On his days off, he cooks for his two daughters, plans family meals and visits local fresh markets searching for ingredients. Pasta, pancakes and fried chicken are regular favourites in the household. 

Cooking, he admits, remains his form of relaxation. 

“It makes me happy,” he says with a smile. 

Perhaps that balance explains why Jeffrey moves through hospitality with such calmness. 

Because after years inside luxury hotels, busy breakfast services and emotionally demanding guest interactions, he still believes the most important part of hospitality remains surprisingly simple: making people feel cared for. 

Explore more: ONYX Dining

Book your stay: Amari

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.