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Marisa Sukosol is aiding Thai hotels in adopting more sustainable practices.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi is the Executive Vice President of the family-owned Sukosol Hotels group. At the onset of the Covid pandemic, she assumed the presidency of the Thai Hotels Association (THA). Previously, she chaired the THA Environment Committee.
The pandemic dealt a severe blow to Thailand’s hotel industry. Marisa conveyed to media the importance of gathering data on Covid’s impact during this period. She stressed coping with Covid’s challenges by collaborating closely with other bodies, such as the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
Marisa is a staunch advocate for green hotels. All properties in the Sukosol Hotel portfolio have received the Green Leaf Certificate from the Green Leaf Foundation.
The Sukosol hotel in Bangkok and Siam Bayshore in Pattaya feature “Green Rooms,” known in Thai as “Hong Pak Rak Loke” or “guest rooms that love and protect the earth.” These rooms incorporate eco enhancements such as unbleached linens, waste separation, locally sourced minibar products, energy-efficient appliances like LED televisions, and more.
A Premiere Sustainability Room at the Sukosol Hotel in Bangkok, courtesy of Sukosol Hotel.
Sukosol Hotels offer a green meetings package to event planners, aiming to reduce resources consumed at meetings, thereby minimising its carbon footprint through less energy consumption, plastics-free drinking water, local products, and reduced food waste.
In 2017, she successfully joined opposition to a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plan to construct a highway along both sides of the Chao Phraya River. Environmentalists raised concerns about the project’s potential impact on the river. Some in the hotel industry feared that hotels would become disconnected from the river and cease to be ‘riverside’ establishments.
Marisa founded the Chao Phraya River Business Community and the We Love Chao Phraya Community, which actively participated in the movement against the project.
In addition to her roles as a hotelier and environmentalist, Marisa is an art enthusiast. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history from Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City.
Marisa and her family perform in an annual concert to raise funds for the Thai Red Cross Society, bringing famous Broadway tunes to Bangkok.
She was once hailed as Thailand’s “minor national treasure” for her performance as Ophelia in Hamlet. She is also known for her 2004 recording of composer Boyd Kosiyabong’s hit ballad “Suk Wan Neung” on the album Rhythm and Boyd.
