Pattaya, Thailand, April 20, 2026 / TRAVELINDEX / A French national with more than a decade’s experience in food and beverage leadership roles across Asia, Europe and the Middle East has been appointed Meliá Pattaya Hotel’s director of food and beverage.
Paul-Edouard Gillard has joined the 234-room Meliá Pattaya to oversee commercial F&B strategy, restaurant revenue management, GOP flow-through and cost structure optimisation. He will also create culinary and beverage concepts and menus and deliver quality hospitality through training and analysis across hotel’s rich culinary landscape, featuring Yitong Chinese Restaurant & Sky Bar, all-day dining restaurant Sanehh Sarae, Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei restaurant Den, LAY Beach Club, Chon Lounge and Lula Pool Bar.
He previously worked in Thailand at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit where he started as a management trainee. After completing a Master of Science in International Hospitality Management with Emylon Business School and Institut Paul Bocuse, he was promoted to the opening team at the hotel’s Belga Rooftop Bar as assistant manager and restaurant revenue analyst. Before joining Meliá Pattaya, he worked as a regional category manager and brand manager for premium food service distributor Bidfood Middle East overseeing tea and coffee brands including JING Tea and illy Caffè.
He was also the F&B manager on the opening team at Carton House, a Fairmont Management Hotel, in Ireland. He co-founded an AI-powered platform in Dubai called Shiftly designed to quickly connect employers in F&B and hospitality with pre-screened professionals for fixed or flexible shifts, using AI-led interviews and psychometric assessments to evaluate candidates’ skills, reliability and role fit.
“Paul-Edouard is a commercially astute F&B leader with a proven ability to turn restaurant concepts into thriving businesses,” said Meliá Pattaya’s General Manager Javier Gimeno. “From luxury hotel openings to large-scale hospitality portfolios, his profound experience brings valuable insight into our revenue optimisation, guest engagement and team development.”
“I’m excited to join Meliá Pattaya; with such a diverse collection of dining venues, there is a tremendous opportunity to work with the team to further develop distinctive concepts for guests and the local community alike,” Gillard added.
About Asset World Corp Public Company Limited
Asset World Corp Public Company Limited (AWC), Thailand’s leading integrated lifestyle real estate group and a member of TCC Group, is redefining the country’s landscape of hospitality, commercial workspaces, and iconic lifestyle destinations with its diversified portfolio, strategically located in prime areas across the nation. Committed to creating new landmark projects that not only set new benchmarks for the industry but also strengthen Thailand’s position as a global sustainable tourism destination, AWC collaborates with world-renowned partners, including Marriott International, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Nobu Hospitality, Okura Hotels, Banyan Tree, Melia International, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Accor, and Hyatt, to deliver unforgettable experiences. Its portfolio features flagship commercial properties such as The Empire, Athenee Tower, Asiatique The Riverfront Destination, and Phenix, along with premier F&B destinations like ‘EA’ Rooftop at The Empire, offering world-class top cuisine. AWC is committed to delivering exceptional experiences while championing sustainability in every part of its operations to create long-term sustainable value for all stakeholders through initiatives under three key pillars of Better Planet, Better People, and Better Prosperity (3BETTERs), driving innovation and responsibility to inspire millions and elevate Thailand’s tourism and real estate industry to new heights. For more information, visit www.assetworldcorp-th.com/en/home.
About Meliá Hotels & Resorts
Meliá has 125 hotels in Europe (56), America (18), Cuba (16), Africa (5) and Asia (30). We are present in 32 countries and currently have 21 hotels under development in 11 countries. At Meliá Hotels & Resorts, we stand out for our unique Spanish style in the hospitality industry and for our warmth, closeness and passion for service. This means that we offer our guests a unique wellness experience. Our Spanish warmth and spontaneity are part of our Mediterranean roots and are always present in the Meliá experience. An experience that is enriched by providing thoughtful extra services. Paying attention to the smallest details and providing personalized experiences for each guest. How do we interpret wellness in the MELIÁ brand? We see wellness from an innovative perspective. It is not wellness applied only to nutrition or wellness services, it is 360º wellness. The wellness we want to convey is global. You can find it in all aspects of the brand from different perspectives: physical wellness, spiritual wellness, leisure wellness, social wellness, occupational wellness, environmental wellness, financial wellness and nutritional wellness.
About Meliá Hotels International
Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Meliá Hotels International has more than 400 hotels open or in the process of opening, in more than 40 countries, and a portfolio of nine brands: Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, ME by Meliá, The Meliá Collection, Paradisus by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, ZEL, INNSiDE by Meliá, Sol by Meliá, and Affiliated by Meliá. The Company is one of the world’s leading hotel chains in the leisure segment and its experience in this area has allowed it to consolidate itself in the growing market of urban hotels inspired by leisure. Its commitment to responsible tourism has led it to be recognised as the most sustainable European hotel company in the world (chosen as “Sustainability Yearbook Member” in 2024 by S&P Global), as well as being a “Top Employer 2024” brand in Spain, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Italy, Germany, France and Vietnam.