Money in Motion: Uncomfortable Truths - A Hospitality Forum — Bangkok Edition
About the Event
Every missed booking, every failed transaction, every moment of friction in the guest journey costs real revenue. Money in Motion: Uncomfortable Truths brings together Bangkok's most senior hospitality leaders for a closed-door, invitation-only forum designed for one purpose: the conversations the industry tends to avoid.
Now in its third edition, Money in Motion has established itself as one of Thailand's most respected senior hospitality gatherings — debuting in Bangkok in October 2025 with 35 owners and executives from Thailand's leading hotel groups, then expanding to Phuket in May 2026. This edition returns to Bangkok with a sharper, more provocative focus: where revenue is actually being lost, where payment infrastructure is silently eroding margin, and what the gap between commercial strategy and operational reality is truly costing Thailand's hotels.
This is not a conference. There are no exhibition booths, no product pitches, and no polished panel performances. It is a peer-level conversation among senior operators — followed by a networking dinner.
Panel Session
Behind the Numbers: Uncomfortable Truths in Hotel Payments, Revenue & Commercial Performance
Bangkok's hospitality market is one of Asia's most competitive — and most complex. Hotels here operate under increasing margin pressure, fragmented technology stacks, growing OTA dependency, and a guest base that expects seamless, frictionless commercial experiences. Yet for many operators, the most significant revenue leaks are not in demand. They are in the gap between strategy and reality.
Topics will include:
🔹 Direct Bookings & International Markets — Why OTA dependency persists and what is actually working to shift the balance toward direct revenue
🔹 Modernising Ancillary Revenue — How operators are unlocking F&B, leisure, and experience revenue beyond the room
🔹 Fraud & Chargeback Management — Treating disputes as a revenue protection issue, not a back-office one
🔹 Productivity & Tech Fragmentation — The true cost of fragmented systems on commercial performance
🔹 Agentic Commerce — How AI is beginning to mediate how guests discover and book hotels, and how Bangkok's operators are preparing
🔹 The 2027 Budget Conversation — What every hotel leader in this room should be fighting for — and what they should stop defending
Panelists
Manmeet Singh Thakralbutra (Manit), CEO & Founder, Arawana Group
Founder of one of Bangkok's fastest-growing independent hotel groups, with 12 properties across Bangkok and Pattaya. TDM Travel Trade Excellence Award winner 2025. Director of the Hostel & Small Accommodation Association Thailand. A hands-on owner-operator who brings both the founder's lens and the commercial reality of building a hospitality group from the ground up.
Goh Choo Leng (ChooLeng), COO, PCL Hospitality
Over 30 years across Southeast Asia's premier luxury brands. Former General Manager of The Athenee Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok for nine years, and Complex GM of Plaza Athénée and Le Méridien Bangkok overseeing USD 50M+ revenue and 800+ associates. Achieved the world's first ISO 20121 certification for a hotel. Currently COO of PCL Hospitality, overseeing multi-property operations and expansion pipeline. Board Member of TICA, Chair of the ICC Commission on Tourism, and Advisory Board member at Sasin School of Management.
James Lemon, Global Lead, Hospitality, Travel & High Growth Industries, Stripe
Fifteen years in travel including founding Otolo, serving as COO of Hostmaker, and holding commercial and strategy roles at IHG and Travelport. At Stripe, James leads thought leadership on Agentic Commerce — exploring how AI agents, programmable money, and real-time payments will reshape the travel and hospitality industry. Board member at 1 Wimpole Street, the hospitality venue of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Scott Walton, Managing Director, Siamese & Kew Green Hotel Management
Over 25 years of hospitality leadership across Asia-Pacific and New Zealand, with senior roles at Wyndham, Radisson, and Langham. Currently overseeing a diverse portfolio including Crowne Plaza, Tribe by Accor, Cassia by Banyan Tree, and Wyndham properties, with upcoming openings including Crowne Plaza Bangkok Rama IX, Cassia Ram Intra, and Hilton Garden Inn Ram Intra. A passionate advocate for innovation in F&B and operational excellence.
Moderated by Tharin Sethi, Managing Director, SethiG
Watch Event Highlights from Our Last Money In Motion: Bangkok Edition 2025 Below: