Hi, I’m Rannes Pärn, a Lead Software Engineer at Agoda, based in Bangkok
I’m originally from Tallinn, Estonia. I moved to Bangkok in 2023 to join the Tech team at Agoda. Now, I’m a Lead Software Engineer, working on a team that supports the Supply side of Agoda’s business. I also take on the responsibilities of a Technical Project Manager for our Database as a Service (DBaaS) projects.
Here’s what a typical day looks like for me.
Starting the day with coffee and positivity
My mornings begin with a ritual—grabbing coffee from the shop downstairs in our building. It’s not just about the caffeine; the friendly staffers, who now know my coffee order, help set the tone for the day. I like to bring positivity to the workplace by saying hi to my colleagues when I see them in the morning. At Agoda, we have team members from 90+ nationalities, including over 1000 engineers in Bangkok, making exchanges never boring!
Engage Team: Providing data-driven recommendations to partners
My team, the Engage team, is responsible for providing data-driven recommendations to hotel and non-hotel partners. We work with the Research and Data Science team to generate insights while the Business Development and Marketing teams help share the findings with our partners. With the vast amount of data we process, we can simulate scenarios and offer actionable insights.
The scale of our operations at Agoda brings unique challenges and opportunities. With over 4 million properties on our platform and more than 30 PB of data, we can make highly reliable predictions. For instance, we can recommend the exact number of photos a property should add to its page to boost bookings. It’s this level of precision that makes our work so rewarding.
Our team’s mission is simple yet impactful: create a win-win situation for all parties involved. By helping our partners grow their business, we also drive more bookings for Agoda and enable more travelers to explore the world.
Staying present in the meeting
In my engineering role, I balance attending team meetings, coding and reviewing codes, while my project managing role is all about meetings and collaborations. One of my favorite habits is attending meetings without my laptop. This helps me stay fully present and focused on the discussion. Stand-up meetings are usually scheduled close to lunchtime to minimize context switching, keeping our workflow efficient.
Lunch Break: Exploring Bangkok’s Culinary Scene
Lunch is a time to unwind and catch up with colleagues on topics beyond work. Bangkok offers an incredible variety of food options. It’s one of the many perks of working in a city known for its vibrant food culture. Whether it’s street food or fine dining, Bangkok never disappoints.
Tackling deep work and collaboration
Afternoons are typically reserved for deep work like coding, but on office days, I prioritize collaboration. Sometimes, I’m helping a colleague review code and troubleshoot a tricky issue. Our tech stack is modern and robust, featuring Kotlin and PostgreSQL for real-time data and StarRocks for querying our Data Lake. Despite the massive scale of our data, StarRocks usually impressively completes queries in under a second!
My Technical Project Manager role for Database as a Service
I got into this role because I was vocal about Micro Databases with Postgres when Agoda started introducing them. The concept was familiar to me, so I shared my thoughts in public channels about how things should be done and why. As I got more and more involved in the process, the role came somewhat naturally to me.
DBaaS at Agoda means each service owns its domain and data. The database team provides a platform for application engineers to request databases—they manage the data and schema, while we handle operations like infrastructure. Think of us as landlords managing plumbing and electricity, while tenants decorate their space. This ensures clear ownership, avoids conflicts, and lets teams focus on their core tasks.
My role is to set a clear product roadmap so stakeholders know progress and upcoming features. Day-to-day, I tackle creative use cases and feature requests, often feeling like a database therapist solving unique data problems without breaking anyone’s code.
Connecting with my team through after-work activities
One of the highlights of my day is participating in after-work activities. My favorite event so far has been the Halloween celebration, where I brought my kids for trick-or-treating and other fun activities. Every month, we also have “Tech Connect”, where everyone in tech gathers to mingle over food, drinks and games. It’s a great way to unwind and build connections.
Life as a back-end engineer in Bangkok
As the day comes to a close, I head home to spend time with my family. As an expat, building a life and growing my kids in Bangkok has been a smooth journey. Balancing work and personal life is important to me, and I’m grateful for the opportunities and experiences that come with being part of Agoda.
Inspired to join a team that’s redefining travel through technology? Agoda Bangkok offers the chance to grow, create, and leave your mark. Explore our engineering opportunities and see where your journey could take you.
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