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Postgraduate Diploma • International Hospitality Management • Les Roches Academic Association • Minor Hotels Network
For professionals who have spent years building careers in hospitality, the question is rarely whether to keep going, but how to go further. It is how to further. Chris Meylan sat down with Masala to share what the industry actually needs from its next generation of leaders, and why the right qualification at the right moment can change everything.
Thailand's hospitality industry is one of the most dynamic in the world. Hotel groups are expanding across Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai, new properties are opening every quarter, and demand for senior leaders has never been higher.
But talent pipelines are not keeping pace with that growth.
AIHM's Postgraduate Diploma in International Hospitality Management was designed to close that gap. Founded by Minor Hotels and delivered in academic association with Les Roches, one of the world's top three hospitality schools, the one-year programme is built exclusively for experienced professionals ready to lead.
We sat down with Chris Meylan, AIHM's Chief Operating Officer, to find out what the industry is asking for right now, what the PGD delivers in practice, and why more professionals across Bangkok's business community are choosing it as the qualification that finally matches the experience they already have.
The hospitality industry in Thailand is growing fast. But is the management talent keeping up?
Honestly, no. The infrastructure is growing. The investment is there. But the people ready to lead at general manager level, at corporate level, at ownership level, are not growing at the same rate.
What we see consistently is strong operators who know their department very well but struggle when they are asked to think across the whole business.
Revenue, finance, marketing and people strategy all need to work together. And that kind of thinking is not something you develop just by working longer hours.
It requires structured learning, exposure to global best practice and the discipline to apply it.
"Experience and expertise are not the same thing. The PGD gives you the strategic frameworks, the financial literacy and the leadership tools that senior roles actually require."
— Chris Meylan, COO of Minor Education and AIHM
Who is the PGD really designed for, and what kind of person gets the most out of it?
The programme is designed for two kinds of people. The first is the experienced hospitality professional, someone who is a few years into the industry who knows they are ready for more but needs the credential and the strategic toolkit to get there.
The second is the high-performing manager from another field who wants to move into hospitality leadership. Thailand and the broader region offer enormous opportunity for people who bring cross-industry thinking into hotels and resorts.
Both profiles do exceptionally well here because the curriculum is applied. Every assignment connects directly to a real business challenge. You are not studying theory in isolation. You are solving problems you already face at work.
Someone reads this and thinks: I have the experience, I do not need a classroom. What do you say to them?
I understand that instinct, and in some ways it is a healthy one. But experience and expertise are not the same thing.
You can spend ten years in hotels and still not have a structured understanding of how revenue management connects to marketing spend, or how to read a P&L and make strategic decisions from it.
The PGD is not about sitting in a classroom. The format is flexible, with weekend, evening and online options, so professionals never have to leave the industry to study.
The work-based project in the second half means you're directly identifying benefits your current employer. We have had students come in sceptical and leave having transformed something real inside their company.
What does life look like for someone after they complete the PGD?
It changes. Not just the CV, but the way they think and the way they carry themselves in a room.
Graduates leave with an internationally recognised qualification, a network built through Minor Hotels and the AIHM community, and the confidence to go after roles they would not have considered before.
Several have moved into general manager positions. Others have earned internal promotions.
For those who want to go further, there is a direct pathway to the Les Roches Master of Advanced Studies, completing a full master's degree in just one additional semester.
The PGD is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a completely different chapter.
Duration: 12 months
Study format: Full-time / Part-time (Saturdays) / Online (Tuesday and Thursday evenings)
Entry requirements: Bachelor's degree plus 2 years in hospitality, OR 5 years management experience (no degree required)
Open to career changers: Yes, with a 2 to 3 week Hospitality Immersion Programme
Intakes: January, April, July and October
Pathway: Transfer to Les Roches master's degree in one additional semester
Visit the campus, and find out whether the PGD is the right next step for your career. Applications are open year-round.
+66 94 349 7733 | contactus@aihm.ac.th | aihm.ac.th