As international resort brands prepare new openings across Southeast Asia, leadership appointments are becoming critical to shaping destination-led guest experiences. OUTRIGGER Hospitality Group’s appointment of Chris Long at its upcoming Phi Phi Island resort signals a focus on operational depth, sustainability and place-based hospitality ahead of the property’s 2026 debut.
OUTRIGGER Hospitality Group appoints Chris Long as General Manager of OUTRIGGER Phi Phi Island Resort, scheduled to open in February 2026. Long assumes the role in April 2025, bringing nearly a decade of leadership experience within OUTRIGGER and senior culinary and operational experience across the Maldives and Southeast Asia.
The appointment forms part of the brand’s preparations to position the resort as a five-star barefoot-luxury retreat on Laem Tong Beach, located on the northern tip of Phi Phi Don and accessible only by boat.
Chris Long says: “OUTRIGGER has been a defining part of my professional life, and returning to Asia in this role feels like a homecoming. Phi Phi offers a rare balance of culture, landscape and community, and it’s the right environment to introduce a style of hospitality that feels relaxed, local and genuinely connected to the island.”
Under Long’s leadership, the resort’s barefoot-luxury ethos is embedded across service, dining and guest programming. The property features 63 suites and villas, designed to mirror the organic flow of village life and encourage a slower pace aligned with the island environment.
Sustainability is positioned as a core operational pillar, with initiatives including chef’s gardens, local sourcing partnerships with Urak Lawoi fishermen, conversion of coconut husks into charcoal, circular food-waste systems and the use of freshwater pools to reduce environmental impact.
Food plays a central role in expressing Southern Thailand’s culinary identity. Mala Kitchen focuses on open hot cooking and breakfast theatre, while Edgewater Bar & Grill centres on open-grill preparation and local ingredients. Guest experiences also include low-impact marine activities, Thai cooking sessions, bead-making traditions and wellness offerings anchored by Zeavola Spa.
Long adds, “Sustainability should feel natural, not instructional. When guests understand where their food comes from, meet the people behind it and feel the ease of the surroundings, the island speaks for itself.”
OUTRIGGER Phi Phi Island Resort joins the group’s growing Thailand portfolio, alongside destinations in Koh Samui, Khao Lak and Phuket. Inspired by the Thai concept of Nit Thra, the resort positions itself around rest, local craft and the protected landscape of Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.
