Anantara celebrates International Women’s Day with inspiring stories from women at workplace
International Women’s Day is just around the corner and to celebrate, Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas is sharing heartwarming and incredible stories from women in the Anantara world that will encourage and inspire everyone to follow their dreams.
In Mauritius, a wonderful women called Natasha Remy has unrivalled strength and determination. A single mother of three and a recent cancer survivor, Natasha came from an underprivileged background and started her career as a top athlete. She represented her country at an international level and competed in renowned events such as the African Games and was presented with the Best Athlete Award. Financial reasons meant a change of career was needed to support her three children on her own, so Natasha followed her a passion for baking. She trained and worked hard to climb the kitchen ladder and joined the team at Anantara Iko Mauritius Resort and Villas in 2019 as the Chef de Partie. In her spare time, Natasha teaches football to the children in her community as well as looking after her own children and fighting to keep the cancer at bay, all while remembering to live life to the full.
In Hungary at the Anantara New York Palace Budapest Hotel, a surprising story comes from the Front Office team with a talented lady named Dani Bella Jennifer. Known as Jenni, she started working in the hotel industry four years ago and climbed important steps from Front Desk Agent, to Front Office Supervisor at Anantara, where she works today. However, unbeknown to most, Jenni has another job – she is a very successful singer. Having studied classical, jazz and musical theatre, and receiving a degree in conducting, Jenni takes to the stage in her spare time performing in beautiful theatres such as the State Opera and the Papp László Budapest Sports Arena. She has also sung in movies, games and events – you may have heard her beautiful voice when watching Elden Ring or Black Adam.
Another highly respected professional amongst the ranks is Naowarat Arunkong from Thailand. Known as Khun Bee, she is the first Thai female General Manager of Anantara Hotels and started her career in hospitality as an intern in Housekeeping at the Hilton International in Bangkok. Over the years Kh Bee studied and worked hard, learning from colleagues in her spare time by shadowing new roles in different departments. Through constant hard work and dedication, Naowarat demonstrated a style of effective and efficient leadership. She was promoted to her first role as General Manager in 2011 and two years later she was appointed General Manager of Anantara Sathorn Bangkok where she won a prestigious company award for Entrepreneurship then Kh Bee has successfully rebranded and opened new hotels, and is now Cluster General Manager of Anantara Hua Hin and Avani+ Hua Hin.
In the Middle East, Maren Kuehl has been a member of the Anantara family since 2014 when she began working as Hotel Manager for Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort, after gaining over two decades of experience in luxury hospitality throughout the region. Since October 2021, Maren has been the General Manager at Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort in Oman, the highest 5-star luxury resort in the Middle East. Maren is a dedicated individual with a drive and passion for sustainability, believing that it should be everyone’s responsibility to improve the quality of people’s lives, protect the ecosystem and preserve natural resources for future generations. Since her latest appointment, Maren started planning and executing initiatives to support sustainability and guest wellness. Sustainability initiatives include a water bottling plant, the drive to better manage waste, and particularly to reduce plastic waste. Away from work, Maren truly enjoys rescuing and re-homing stray animals in need, and she has influenced many of her colleagues and friends to follow in her steps.
Maartje de Nie, a Pastry Chef at Anantara Grand Krasnapolsky Amsterdam Hotel, started her career on a different path. Maartje studied Law and Maths for five years in Amsterdam and then decided to change direction at 23 years old. With a dream to become a chef at a high-end pastry shop, she attended the Amsterdam Pastry School for three years followed by four internships. In 2018 she joined the pastry team at the hotel as a Chef de Partie and since then has focused on elevating the pastry offer at High Tea. After being promoted to the hotel’s pastry chef position, she focused on the chocolate offering by designing and conceiving new original chocolate items representing the rich culture of the Dutch capital. From beautiful canal houses, gold bicycles, orange tulips perched in Dutch wooden shoes and windmills, to Amsterdammertje (the famous red-brown steel traffic bollard) she promotes the landmarks of the city to all visitors and she will be creating unique pastry items to celebrate International Women’s Day for guests to sample.
In the sunny south of Spain, at Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Benahavis Marbella Resort, there is a restaurant called Irene´s Health Kitchen with a lovely story behind it. Head chef Irene Hernández, who is just 27 years old, came from a small town in the north of the country and during the summer of 2012 she spent her days caring for her elderly grandma. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for cooking, preparing wholesome meals for her family. This took her on a path of passion and a few years later, Irene started her gastronomy degree. Being the only girl in the class, she found it was an up-hill struggle to get the teacher’s attention, but this only made her more determined. In February 2022 her grandmother, who had been her inspiration, sadly passed away. Not long after, Anantara Villa Padierna gave Irene the opportunity to become chef of a restaurant that they decided to name after her, Irene´s Health Kitchen. The eatery is the wellness gastro extension experience of the Anantara Spa, innovating with new healthy yet delicious recipes, and every time Irene steps inside the kitchen, she feels as though she is making her grandma proud.
In Bangkok a lovely lady called Nutawan Jumpanak, known as Khun Nuch, is Anantara Siam Bangkok’s first ever female Chief Sommelier and is part of a growing movement to put Thailand on the world wine map. Now one of the leading female sommeliers in the country, she organises high profile events to celebrate women in wine in Thailand, uniting female sommeliers from across Bangkok at wine paring dining events hosted at the hotel. Khun Nuch has undertaken her Sommelier training around the world and at some of Thailand’s most prestigious hotels. In addition, she boasts many awards and accolades celebrating her passion and skill for wine, including: Winner Best Thailand Sommelier competition 2019; Winner Chilean wine trophy competition 2019; Certified sommelier Certificate- Court of Master Sommelier United State 2017; Introductory Certificate -Court of Master Sommelier United State 2014
Khun Nuch will be celebrating the rising role of women in this previously male-dominated world by hosting an exclusive Women’s Day Dinner and Wine Pairing event at Anantara Kihavah’s Spice Restaurant in the Maldives on the 8th March, as well as a pioneering ‘wine tasting beneath the waves’ experience at the award-winning SEA underwater restaurant and wine cellar on the 7th March.
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