Kids in Charge! Advisory board launched at Thistle Port Dickson Resort

image credit: Maggie Cheong, words: Jack Choo 

The Thistle Port Dickson Resort has taken innovation to the next level by appointing ten kids into a provisional Advisory Board. Their main task will be to deliberate amongst themselves and suggest exciting and fun activities that can be implemented into the hotel’s activities, exclusively for kids.

The quest for the Kids in Charge! Advisory board was launched as part of Thistle’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, with some 65 children from 6 local schools and homes, including Agape Home School and Home of Peace invited to be part of the campaign. Overseeing the campaign were Simon Farr, Regional Director of Operations of Thistle Hotels, Mr Chinthaka Weerasinghe, Country Manager Malaysia, SriLankan Airlines and Mr KJ Wong, General Manager (GSA), SriLankan Airlines.

The nationwide search was open to all children aged 7 to 12 years old residing in West and East Malaysia, including children of expatriates. Kids interested in participating only needed to download the entry form from Thistle’s website, answer three questions and of course, obtain the consent of their relevant parents/guardians to participate.

All entries received were then reviewed by a panel of six judges and narrowed down to 10 finalists who were inducted into the board. Each of the 10 board members will then be invited for four 3D/2N stays for a family of four at Thistle Port Dickson, during which the board meetings will convene. In all, 4 board meetings will take place over a period of four months until December 2013, after which the board will be dissolved.

When frigglive asked why induct children into an advisory board, Mr John Murphy, General Manager of Thistle Port Dickson Resort had this to say:

“Children today are more astute than ever before. Looking after them and meeting their needs is serious business. Very often hotels tend to focus on being hospitable to adults, but in our efforts we neglect to take in the expectations of this very important demographic of guests. As grown-ups  we can very easily lose sight of their needs. This is why we’re taking this very seriously at Thistle Port Dickson Resort, to ultimately allow kids to decide what they want”.

So without further ado and with an appropriate drum roll  here are the 10 finalists who made the grade:

Adam Mrani, 12, Aisyah Batrisyia, 12, Anitel Palur, 8, Chong Yun Xian, 8, Christopher Nantha, 12, Ella Morris, 8, Fong Jin, 11, Ng Zhang En, 9, Nur Jannah Lee, 8, and Tan Kah Hong, 12.

Following the induction ceremony held recently, the kids were promptly put to work by being taken on a tour of the hotel and then convening for their first ice-breaker meeting. There will be monthly meetings held after this.

Each board member is encouraged to contribute original and innovative ideas towards enhancing kids’ experiences at Thistle, and to discuss the implementation of these ideas with the resort management team to assess their creativity and feasibility.    

About The Thistle Port Dickson:

The idyllic Thistle Port Dickson Resort, located just 80km from Kuala Lumpur is set in 36 hectares of tropical landscaped gardens, along a 3-kilometre stretch of a private sandy beach in Teluk Kemang, one of the most popular beaches in Port Dickson.  Already recognized by a host of awards and accolades, including the 2012 Certificate of Excellence from Tripadvisor, Thistle Port Dickson Resort boasts 251 luxuriously furnished rooms with views of either the Straits of Malacca or the resort’s very own golf course. All room bookings at the resort include complimentary unlimited wi-fi, watersports, golf, tennis and many other activities.