The atmosphere inside the Garden Ballroom at Bangkok’s Anantara Riverside Hotel on Saturday was nothing short of jubilant, as the Asian Institute of Hospitality Management (AIHM) celebrated its historic first graduation ceremony.

The end of May -- when the air is sweet and graduation ceremonies lure alumni back to reminisce about the springtime of their lives -- is typically a bonanza for the shops and restaurants of university towns from Berkeley, California to Charlottesville, Virginia.