“Our standard is such that you must feel like you are stepping into a five-star hotel. From the very first step onto one of our yachts, it must feel very special for our customers”
AS CO-FOUNDER OF BLUE VOYAGE GROUP, THAILAND’S PREMIERE YACHT CHARTERING COMPANY, TANCHANOK “OMI” VAJARODAYA FEELS RIGHT AT HOME SAILING THE OCEAN WAVES IN FIRST-CLASS STYLE. parisa pichitmarn TAGS ALONG FOR THE RIDE
he fact that Tanchanok “Omi” Vajarodaya has been playfully dubbed “the queen of yachts” by local media has caused friends to tease her with sarcastic jibes such as “Do you ever travel by land?” Of course, this affinity for bespoke boating makes perfect sense, as the ravishing 32-year-old is the co-founder of Blue Voyage Group, one of the largest luxury yacht chartering companies in Thailand. So, when it comes to travelling the high seas, this savvy businesswoman and sultry siren definitely takes the lead.
On the day of our Prestige cover shoot, Omi welcomes our team aboard the group’s S/Y Blue Atoll, a stunning white Lagoon 400 catamaran. She’s about to lead us on a spectacular journey across the sparkling turquoise waters of Krabi, including a stop at her favourite island hideaway known as “Secret Beach”. Along the way, we hope to discover a few “secrets” about her, too…
As I dive a little deeper into Omi’s upbringing, it seems apparent that her self-made enterprise is most likely the result of growing up so deeply immersed in the world of hospitality. As the eldest daughter of Vinit and U-SA Chidchanognarth, she remembers hanging out at hotels because of her father’s work, often while taking care of her younger sister Natnicha (Amm), who is 10 years her junior.
She goes on to describe a relatively normal childhood growing up in Bangkok and going to school at St. Francis Xavier Convent. However, Omi most fondly remembers family trips to the countryside on weekends, and trips abroad during the summer holidays, thus instilling in her a love for travelling from a very young age.
Another keen interest of hers as a youth was self-made entrepreneurs. “I’ve always studied and read books about these businesspeople since I was young,” she recalls. “I think it’s really cool if you become successful by your own means. Being proud of yourself is something that money cannot buy. My parents have always taught me to hustle for what you love. You have to work hard to get what you want in life. You can’t skip the ‘work hard’ part.”
For this reason, she cites William Heinecke, founder and Chairman of Minor International PCL, as her main role model.
Elaborating on the mentoring relationship she shares with the famed hospitality mogul she adds, “He is always the first person I run to whenever I seek any advice on business decisions. I would say Bill is one of my best friends.”
Omi chose to study hospitality management at RMIT in Melbourne for her undergraduate degree, following that with a year of living in London taking short fashion courses, and another year in Japan learning Japanese. When she returned to Thailand, she met her would-be-boyfriend, Titawat “Ping” Vajarodaya, who is now her life partner as well as business partner.
“If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to just go on that hospitality course in Switzerland,” she laughs, saying how those plans derailed after she met Ping. “And to study French harder back in high school.”
The couple hit it off swimmingly, thanks to their shared interests in travelling, horseback riding, and the sea. But it was when they went to a friend’s birthday party, held on a rented yacht, that the idea to start a more reasonably priced and professional yacht chartering business began to take shape between the two. It was a labour of love in the making, and one that would keep the couple close to the ocean waters they so adore.
“I love holidaying by the sea. Most people just stay at a seaside hotel, but I feel that a true holiday at the sea is to go out onto sea and explore… going to the islands. And there are immensely beautiful islands in Thailand, and all our limestone cliffs are simply stunning.
“Back in Australia, and also in Thailand, my friends and I would rent boats to go out to sea, and the experience is completely different from staying on shore. I can be out at sea for days, because the ocean is different every day. You never know what you will come across. Like, I saw a whale shark the other day, and all these other weird and wonderful creatures. Differing weather also completely changes the vibes. The sea has its own charm that you just can’t get enough of.”
Unfortunately, the yachting life was not particularly accessible for most people half a decade ago, and Omi recalls she and her friends usually paying in the hundred-thousand-baht price range for a day’s rental. “I felt that it really should be more accessible so that others will also be able to enjoy the experience. We came up with a price model that’s more affordable; our
starting packages at Blue Voyage, for example, are just 29,900 Baht for 10 people. It’s much more affordable than the 20,000 Baht per person my friends and I used to pay back then… it was way too much and simply over the top!”
Following that fateful birthday party with friends, Omi and Ping went on a date to rent a yacht and ended up paying almost 100,000 Baht for a day’s use. It only solidified their belief that there was a gap in the market suitable for their business idea. “Back in those days, it was hard to find anyone who did it professionally. It’s usually a foreign owner who lets you rent their yacht when they aren’t using it,” she explains, remembering the particularly no-frills experiences she had in Phuket. “When you get there, there isn’t any service at all. It’s almost like just going to sleep over at a friend’s house! There’s literally just the boat that’s not even that clean. It’s not professional, and there’s no one there to greet you.”
In 2015, the couple pitched in their own savings – a million Baht each – to import their first cruiser from the USA. At that time, Omi was still taking the reservations herself, and Ping was part of the crew, serving drinks and taking care of guests on board. But their first-class service generated a lot of word-of-mouth buzz, which brought with it a wave of popularity. Since that time, the charter company has become endorsed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and accredited with the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA).
Besides the Thai customers that make up 70 percent of their clientele, the company has also serviced Hollywood stars and foreign dignitaries, including a few prime ministers, all looking for a breezy getaway. Today, Blue Voyage’s fleet has grown to encompass 10 sailing catamarans and motor yachts, and the group employs more than 70 staff members. Their operations are strategically located in Thailand’s top seafaring destinations – Phuket, Samui, and Pattaya – with Krabi being the latest addition to their line-up.
“One thing I always tell my staff is that if you wait until customers tell you what they want, you’re too late,” Omi remarks, as she describes the level of service Blue Voyage strives to provide. “We are always a step ahead before the clients even say what they want. It’s also vital to always seek a way to surprise guests.”
As a seasoned traveller herself, Omi is aware that service is all-important. Things need to be immaculately planned – down to the exact moment when drinks are served, and with the sort of attention to detail that spots the tiniest grain of sand out of place. Besides the captain and crew, a bartender and butler are also on board to provide a top-notch experience for guests. Luxuries include picnics on the beach, afternoon tea, and massages on board, while hidden gems and less touristy islands are an extra bonus in the trip’s itinerary.
“Our standard is such that you must feel like you are stepping into a five-star hotel,” the fastidious businesswoman describes. “I love these things, which is why I started Blue Voyage. From the very first step onto one of our yachts, it must feel very special for our customers.”
On working with her husband, Omi reveals that it had not been a worry for her at all initially, despite the age-old mantra to keep business and relationships separate. In fact, Blue Voyage was conceived when the couple were still dating, long before they even got married.
“We do fight quite a bit now about work,” she confesses with a laugh. “I feel like fighting is fine, since you are both fighting for the best for the company. But after office hours, you have to let it go and not bring work back home with you. If you continue talking about business or arguing at home, I feel that it will affect your personal relationship.
“Personal space is also very important,” Omi goes on to advise. “Since we work together all the time, we talked about giving each other our own space. I don’t tag along when he hangs out with his friends, and he is also totally cool with me traveling abroad with my mine. We both respect each other’s need for time to do our own thing.
“Even when we go riding our horses, we split up,” jokes the accomplished polo player whose white horse, amusingly named Cooper Blue, is stabled at the RBSC Polo Club. “Ping does show jumping, but I play polo. I love it for the adrenaline rush when the horse is running fast. I also like how it requires you to master hand coordination because one hand must control the horse, and the other must hit the ball.”
The couple have a five-year-old daughter, Venice, and Omi says the perfect family day is simply “one without nannies”, allowing her to lavish her undivided attention on her child. Asked
“THE SEA HAS ITS OWN CHARM THAT YOU JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF”
what she enjoys most doing together as a family, the jet-setting mom says it’s taking Venice on trips to the countryside and – you guessed it – out to sea.
Travelling, rather than shopping, is amongst Omi’s greatest loves, so much so that it’s where all her money goes. As a person who only buys what she needs, her classic and sexy style is brought to life in Pucci fashions, which she loves for their colourful prints. She opts for Chanel on days that require elegant and formal professionalism, but holds nothing back when it comes to setting off to sexplore the world.
“I must go all the way, even if it costs millions,” Omi admits with a chuckle. “Time is very valuable. If I’m tired from work, and only have a week off, I want every minute to be perfect. I want to choose the best things and conveniences for my holiday. It’s like how taking a speedboat to Phi Phi Island is torture because you’re jangling about in the boat for two hours. A yacht gets you there too, but it’s a totally different way of spending those two hours because someone is massaging you and serving you champagne. Travelling is a way I treat myself, but it also feeds into my company as I get to see new developments that can be adapted to our own services.”
Having journeyed far and wide, Omi says she looks forward to visiting the Amazon in the future. “Civilized and luxurious cities are all the same,” she says, with a slight world-weary tone. “A place that really impressed me, actually, was Havana, Cuba. It’s like I got to travel back in time, 50 years ago. There wasn’t internet there, and to get work done I had to buy these internet cards that you scratch with a coin for Wi-fi access! The architecture and whole place feels like it dates back to before World War II… that was super strange but really awesome, too.”
For someone who aspires for perfection in her line of work, it goes without saying that Omi spends her free time acquiring more skills and improving herself as well. Currently, she is learning Mandarin, as well as how to fly a plane. Her business, meanwhile, is also ready to spread its wings and take flight, with expansion into Bali and The Philippines already in the works. In fact, global reach is ultimately on the horizon, with Omi having her sights set on boating havens such as Santorini, Bora Bora, and The Bahamas.
“We need to keep improving all the time,” she says, as our catamaran pulls into yet another picture postcard perfect spot. “Even if we get praise, we need to exceed that even more. Never do anything half-heartedly. If you don’t truly love with what you do, then don’t do it because you won’t do it well.”
With such a passionate outlook and unstoppable drive, it seems like only a matter of time before Omi will conquer all seven seas.
“IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO BE OUT ON A YACHT, AND I WANT OTHERS HAVE THOSE FEELINGS AND EXPERIENCES TOO”