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23/02/2025
Celebrating People in Tourism & Hospitality
Tall and personable, as you get to know him, you’ll find he’s also smart, well-spoken and unassuming. Sonam Wangchuk is one of the few Bhutanese General Managers (GM) in Bhutan today.
As we were talking to him, it soon became clear that his knowledge, wit, and the art (the art of working with people) came from his experience of steadily climbing up the ladder from being a guide to an HR manager, then a hotel manager, and finally a GM. After working for Amankora as a hotel manager for several years, he was nominated for the same position at Aman’s property in Sri Lanka where he worked for over two years in the challenging times of the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This gave me a lot of room to push my boundaries,” he said. “I learned more working in Sri Lanka for two years than I would have learned in five years elsewhere.”
Coming back to Bhutan as a GM for COMO Uma was a decision that’s equal parts personal and born of a desire to challenge the status quo. There hasn’t been a Bhutanese who has risen to the position of GM for an international hotel brand in Bhutan; it was an implicit resignation that Bhutanese people felt a local couldn't become the GM. Deep down, Sonam had always wanted to change that.
Moreover, COMO hotels is a brand that prioritises nurturing local talent. They create space for locals to grow and lead in their own homes. “I’m not the first local GM of COMO hotels around the world,” added Sonam. “There are other GMs in some of our other COMO properties who are also locals.”
“So, what makes a good GM?” we asked.
“I’m here talking to you,” he said, “and at this moment I have over 200 people who are doing their job. They’re the ones taking care of the guests. I need to create an environment for them that’s nurturing, appreciative and constructive, so that when they smile at the guests, it’s a genuine smile, and they do their job with a sense of ownership. A good GM is someone who sets clear measurable goals and leads his team by example.”
Not for the lack of a synonym, or a case of overindulging the word – but Sonam truly is a ‘trailblazer’.
We continue to applaud and celebrate outstanding personalities in Bhutan’s tourism and hospitality industry.bhutan (IG)
