Jay Gregson, Owner of Chiang Mai's Lavender Lanna, Found Dead in an Apparent Suicide

[Gaybutton]

Details are on the Gay Ting & Tong Board:

 

http://www.gaytingtong.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6480

[Guest fountainhall]

Having been there just last week, I am quite shocked by this. I feel so bad for the staff.

[Guest]

Very sad news indeed. Sorry to hear this and I hope the hotel and staff are able to continue with this.

[Guest fountainhall]

I have heard no more than the news reported yesterday. Inevitably there will be rumours until the true facts are established (if ever). Having been there last week - in what is supposed to be the high season - with only a handful of diners on the roof terrace, little going on in the massage place and the excellent show attracting relatively few customers, I wonder if in fact the hotel and its facilities were perhaps just too large. Whatever, it's a tragedy!

[Guest taylorsquare]

This is sad but probaly going on in his life for some time.

 

A few months ago I posted on here about depression and mental illness only to be "slanged" by some saying this is not a real illness etc.

 

Its obviously has been getting harder for this guy and depressed for sometime before he took his life,the only thing is people dont see inside of you mentally.

This illness likes to hide itself and no one can pick it up inside the person if they choose to hide it.

It obvious got too much,the ilness got hold of him and had a breakdown.

Maybe he was on past Psychiatric/psychology help,usually that is the case and then you think this mental illness is gone,and you stop seeking treatment and it rears its ugly head again.

This is the problem for many expats who cant get the sufficient treatment help with mental illness in Thailand.

I recall there was a guy advertising a few years ago in one of the gay magazines who was a expat Psychologist but other than him there seems to be no help available.

 

 

I wished he had told someone,there is a way out,even if he had to let it all go and go back to his home country.

[PattayaMale]

I wished he had told someone,there is a way out,even if he had to let it all go and go back to his home country.

I agree that many people may need help in sorting out issues. For some medicine is of great help.

 

But as it relates to Jay, do we really know? When I use my own bathroom, I lock the door. If I would fall, become unconscious, have a heart attack while in there...the door would need to be broken down to get to me.

 

The topic about where people can find help is a good one for another thread.

[Bob]

It obvious got too much,the ilness got hold of him and had a breakdown.

Maybe he was

 

No. What's real (and obvious) is that you know nothing about the man and the choices he made and your baseless speculations are way out of line (at least in my opinion).

[Guest taylorsquare]

thankyou Doctor.

[Guest fountainhall]

When you read the Gay Ting & Tong thread that was the subject of the first post, it does seem (and I am deliberately no more emphatic than that) that there were serious financial issues and that these had been known for some time by at least some in the Chiang Mai community. If true, and if, as I surmised in my last post, the hotel had not been doing good business in the high season after a vast amount was spent on it, I can understand that could be enough to drive someone to suicide. It would, in my book, be a form of short-term depression, However, I would certainly not put it in the same class of depression/mental illness that Taylorsquare has been discussing.

[Gaybutton]

Maybe he left a suicide note, if indeed it was suicide, the contents of which have not yet been made public or will be kept private.

 

I wonder what will happen to the hotel now.

[Guest fountainhall]

Although we only visited the hotel for dinner and to see the show, we did not find it lived up to all the hype that surrounded its opening. We did talk to a couple of overseas farangs who had decided to stay there after reading good things about it and we were surprised that both were lukewarm - "rooms just average, service OK . . " etc. The impression we got was that the various components of the hotel could be found for roughly the same price or less elsewhere in the city - i.e. there was no special reason for gay travellers to stay there against just visiting to dine, see the show, have a massage etc.

 

However, we did not stay there and I have no idea how accurate this might be.

[Guest jtrack33]

I stayed there twice and will continue to return there as long as it's open in the same or a similar format. The atmosphere is pleasant and the boys even more so. Jay was a great character and very pleasant to chat with. He was unusually kind to his staff and well respected. Certainly he will be missed, but I believe the least I can do is to continue to patronize his place as long as it's in business and help support his staff.

[Guest fountainhall]

Not sure what this Board's policy is of re-posts from other Boards. If permitted, then the following appears on sawasdee-gay-thailand (which I can access only because I am in Hong Kong today - my server blocks it in Bangkok).

 

The post describes some of Jay Gregson's activities in Phuket, adding he -

 

then (inexplicably) completely disappeared . . . only to pop up some years later as the owner (partner? manager?) of the Lanna Lavendar Hotel in Chiang Mai.

 

Not sure how much of the information regarding this death will find it's way to these boards (if it ever does), but there is certainly quite a lot more to this story than has so far appeared. I have heard, through snippets only ~ and over a few beers (i.e. gossip) with some guys in Chiang Mai ~ and most of it unconfirmed and/or circumstantial, that interesting extracurricular activities surround this unfortunate death.

 

I know this sounds like cock teasing (more LMTU-ish than I'd like), and I don't mean it to be. The things I've heard about this I cannot say for certain are correct, so I won't repeat them . . . but if true, they are truly intriguing and make for a fascinating mystery.

 

Let's see what plays out.

 

All of which is most curious. But there are also reports that he suffered a heart attack. Whatever, I hope as others have suggested that residents and visitors to Chiang Mai will rally around the staff.

[Gaybutton]

Not sure what this Board's policy is of re-posts from other Boards.

I'll let the post stand, but in the future I would prefer you just post a link rather than copy and paste from another board. I'm sure most people who read this board also read the Sawatdee board anyway.

[Guest ozioziozi]

i have spent 4 weeks in this hotel in the last six weeks. I am very familiar with the staff and Jay.. I live in australia and can only say that the hotel was "heaven" for me. The staff were fabulous. I feel so sorry for them, I was the last person Jay bought a drink for, I told him the day before his death that he was a walking dead man, He replied that he did not want to lose weight. I have spoken to his boyfriend about the death, and he told me that Jay always took about 20 pills at once.. Jay had a dream.His establishment fulfilled my dream.It does not matter how he died, it now just matters what will happen to all those wonderful people who worked there.

[Guest jimbear451]

OK, men. I am totally confused now. The fact that this entrepreneur passed is truly sad. I love meeting new people and sounds like he was such a personable, outgoing person--the kind that can make even a mediocre place sparkle. But was he the only thing keeping the hotel together? I have a reservation for early March for 4 nights and my very first visit to Chiang Mai. There have been some very glowing accounts across the web on this place and some really horrific ones. I want to support the business, but wondering if I am asking for trouble and a negative experience. What's the reality here? Should I switch? Lotus? PJs? Santiham? Really need some advice, so thanks!

[Guest]

The hotel is OK.

I paid 1150 baht a room & got an upgrade, as the 1150 baht room did not have the in room safe.

Paying top wack at about 1800 baht might leave you expecting a little more.

 

The one other question mark would be regarding the financial state of the place.

I honestly have no idea about that, but you have to question if the market is large enough for a 10 storey gay hotel to succeed in Chiang Mai. No problem as long as you pay in arrears.

[Guest kjun12]

I'll let the post stand, but in the future I would prefer you just post a link rather than copy and paste from another board. I'm sure most people who read this board also read the Sawatdee board anyway.

 

 

I for one cannot access the Sawadee board. Consequently I appreciate the copy.

[kokopelli]

I for one cannot access the Sawadee board. Consequently I appreciate the copy.

 

Likewise, I cannot access Sawatdee forum from computer in my room and not from some internet cafes, although can access the other boards.

[Gaybutton]

Likewise, I cannot access Sawatdee forum from computer in my room and not from some internet cafes, although can access the other boards.

That's strange. Have you tried using a proxy server?

 

Meanwhile, this board belongs to GT, not me, then under the circumstances if it's ok with GT then it's ok with me.

[Guest HeyGay]

http://www.hidemyass.com/

 

http://www.youhide.com/

 

Either of these proxy servers will not only hide you from being seen or anyone finding your computer, you can asses any web site.