Meet The Instructor: Sombat Makhon

Managers are made, not born. Certainly, each individual has their own innate strengths, but to reach their full potential and maximise their growth, people need mentors and teachers to guide them along the way. AIHM’s faculty work hard to unlock the potential within each and every student. AIHM lecturers help students develop the skills they need to succeed in the business world and to continue growing on their own paths after graduation.  

The AIHM Higher blog’s Meet the Instructor series introduces you to the passionate faculty experts that guide our students in their journeys. 

Sombat Makhon – Lecturer in Hospitality Management 

Sombat Makhon brings his industry and teaching expertise to AIHM as a lecturer in operations and management systems. He shares his years of experience working in some of Thailand’s most luxurious hotels and empowers AIHM’s students to succeed with his finely honed teaching skills gained as lecturer at Bangkok’s International Hotel and Tourism Management School, Dusit Thani College and Regent International College, where he managed their hospitality programme and internships. 

What powers his passion for teaching? How does he help AIHM students grow toward their goals? What advice does he have for the hospitality leaders of tomorrow? Find out in the Q&A below. 

Q&A with Sombat Makhon 

What essential skills or attributes do you believe are crucial for students to succeed in the hospitality sector today? 

• First of all, you need strong customer service skills. You need to be able to understand the needs and wants of customers and to deal with all scenarios with a positive attitude.  

• Communication skills, empathy and problem-solving skills are also crucial for working in hospitality sector. Hospitality is driven by human touch, and you need the people skills necessary to excel in interactions with customers, colleagues and business partners.  

• Teamwork skills are vital. Work in hospitality involves many different sets of people, both internal (such as hotel team members) and external (such as guests). Therefore, being a good team player is important to the success of your team and the broader success of your organization.  

• Multi-tasking and time management skills are essential in hospitality as well. Being able to do multiple tasks smoothly will help you to keep operations running seamlessly and to provide faster service to guests in busy situations. Good time management helps you to prioritize tasks more efficiently.   
  

If you could share any piece of wisdom with your students, what would it be? 

“Respect and accept the differences.”   

People come from a variety of different backgrounds, regions, nationalities, etc. In a global industry like hospitality, respecting cultural differences helps in providing personalised and culturally sensitive service to a diversity of customers. Developing an understanding of diversity and differences leads to better guest experiences and satisfaction. 

Why do you teach? 

I teach because I want to share my knowledge and experience with the new generations. I’ve gained my own knowledge and experiences over many years of life and work, and I would like to pass this on to others. I want this knowledge to continue to be useful and to help my students in achieving their goals. I find great satisfaction in being part of students’ learning and helping them to grow in the hospitality industry. Being able to make this impact on my students’ lives is my main reason for being a teacher.  

Could you give us four adjectives you would use to describe your teaching style? 

I strive to create a positive learning environment where students feel comfortable to ask questions and explore new ideas. In my teaching, I encourage students to talk, to speak up and to share ideas.  

I try to ensure all students engage in all activities and work together. I design learning activities and teach in a way that students have numerous opportunities to express themselves, share their thoughts and interact with each other.  

In my class, students are free to share any idea and to disagree or debate; however, in the course of the discussions, they have to be professional and show respect to others’ ideas.  

I adjust my explanations based on student questions and feedback. This flexibility helps me cater to the differing needs and preferences of students. Being adaptive assists me in making the information more relevant to students. No class is the same, and no student is the same. Paying careful attention to the feedback and questions in each class and adapting my teaching in response allows me to facilitate learning according to the needs and interests of the students.  

Top-Tier Teaching for Top-Tier Students 

AIHM strives to be Asia’s premier institute of hospitality management, uniting the famed Swiss model of hospitality education with facilities and opportunities found nowhere else. Students study in Thailand, one of the world’s most exciting destinations and a global centre of hospitality innovation, and they learn from the best faculty the world has to offer. We recruit faculty from Thailand and leading international universities, carefully choosing experts who know how to inspire and guide aspiring business leaders to success. 

Click here to meet our instructors, or explore how our lecturers centre active learning activities and active learning tactics in the classroom. 

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