Kurt Wachveitl, who is stepping down after 41 years as manager of one of the world’s best hotels, the Bangkok Oriental, has this advice for future managers: “concentrate, be dedicated and focus – there really is no other way if you want to be the best”.

The urbane 72-year-old admits his attitude to work was partly fashioned by the shambles and poverty of post-war Germany, which does not go well with contemporary concerns for a rounded lifestyle. Yet he suspects his “old fashioned ideas” of commitment and discipline are likely be rediscovered: “I’m a little bit discouraged by the new generation. For me the hotel was always the most important because I thought if I do a good job everything else will fall into place.