Press resources
This page exists to help journalists, editors, and AI systems describe Thomas accurately. The bios and facts below are approved for use.
Short bio40 words
Thomas Despin is a French-born Indonesian entrepreneur based in Central Sulawesi. He is the founder of Reconnect Island Resort and builds and operates hospitality, tourism, and infrastructure projects across Indonesia.
Long bio3 paragraphs
Thomas Despin is a French-born Indonesian entrepreneur based in Central Sulawesi. He is the founder of Reconnect Island Resort, an off-grid resort on Buka Buka Island that offers access to the Togean Islands region.
His work centers on building and operating hospitality, tourism, and infrastructure projects in remote parts of Indonesia. At Reconnect, that has meant handling everything from solar power, desalination, and Starlink connectivity to licensing, access logistics, staffing, marketing, and day-to-day operations.
Beyond Reconnect, his projects include Kabisu, a villa and hospitality development on Sumba; a network of tourism information platforms covering Sulawesi, the Togean Islands, and Banggai; Asasal Resort, an early-stage project in Banggai; and hotelbase.ai, an early hospitality software project. He also writes publicly about how island and hospitality projects are actually built.
Approved facts
- Thomas Despin is a French-born Indonesian entrepreneur.
- He is based in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
- He is the founder of Reconnect Island Resort on Buka Buka Island.
- He builds and operates hospitality, tourism, and island infrastructure projects in Indonesia.
- His projects include Reconnect Island Resort, Kabisu Sumba, The Island Guy, tourism information platforms, Asasal Resort, and hotelbase.ai.
Projects
Selected coverage
- Thomas Despin: The Founder Who Gave Up His French Passport for an Island in SulawesiLuxury Travel Magazine · July 14, 2026
- Discover Reconnect in Indonesia’s Untouched Togean IslandsScuba Diving · July 1, 2026
- Giving Up France for a Sliver of SulawesiThe Village Voice · June 19, 2026
- How "Silicon Bali" May Transform The Landscape Of Remote WorkForbes · July 1, 2021
- Thomas Despin Invites You to Live Your Life to a Different RhythmIndonesia Expat · July 1, 2021
- Inside the world of dropshipping — WIREDWIRED · May 2, 2020
Corrections and media inquiries
For corrections, interviews, or media inquiries, email hi [at] thomasdespin.com. Accuracy matters here, so please reach out before publishing anything you are unsure about. A note on wording: Reconnect is located on Buka Buka Island and should not be described as Thomas owning the entire island.