Putting the Phoenicia on the international stage
The owner of the Phoenicia Hotel is happy to be investing in Malta because he feels the country's economy is well suited to deal with the challenge of the current economic climate. The Phoenicia is undergoing a €5 million refurbishment in order to...
The owner of the Phoenicia Hotel is happy to be investing in Malta because he feels the country's economy is well suited to deal with the challenge of the current economic climate.
The Phoenicia is undergoing a €5 million refurbishment in order to attract more high-quality tourists to Malta. The first phase of the project will be completed by March.
Ray Byrne, an Irish businessman, told The Times Business: "We are much happier to be investing in Malta than investing in Ireland because Ireland has an overcooked economy. We did very well for a number of years but the last four or five years was probably built more on credit and hope than on actual substance. I don't see that happening in Malta. While the market has softened the economy here is much more stable and resilient. We feel Malta is very much able to deal with the challenges out there and like all crises the current economic situation is a cycle. Cycles have downs as well as ups."
He said that at the Phoenicia "we want to be planning for the upturn". He added: "We are not going to dwell on the downturn. We have a very good operation here, we have an excellent team in the hotel, it is very well managed, and it has been managed well in good times and in bad times and because of that we are very much focused on the future."
Mr Byrne, who lives in Ireland and who visits Malta once a month, owns a hotel and has two other hotels under management contract in the west of Ireland.
"My hotels are all boutique style and are individual properties. They are not branded. One is called Wine Port Lodge, which is on a lake, the other is called Lisloughrey Lodge, which is on the grounds of a castle, and the third hotel is called the Ice House and it's on an estuary. They are all beside water and it's great to have a connection with The Phoenicia, which is also close to the water," he said.
Mr Byrne explained that in late 2006, when the Phoenicia was placed on the market, he became involved with a group of Irish people, some of whom are investors in some of the other hotels he is involved in. "The six of us banded together and we bought the hotel from the Meridien group. We talked about a refurbishment programme, we embarked on it and now we are half way through. This is the first phase in a long chapter. The Phoenicia has a long history and it has a great future. It's going to take time, and we are here for the long haul to explore all of the potential that the property has to offer."
"This year we are spending €2.5 million on refurbishing the hotel, and we aim to spend the same again next year," he said.
At the moment a refurbishment is being carried out on half of the bedrooms and all the ground floor which includes the reception, hallway, the Palm Court lounge, the Phoenix Restaurant, the Club Bar and the Pegasus Brassiere, "so it will be a complete makeover in terms of what people see when they come into the hotel and absolute luxury for the third and fourth floor bedrooms. We are going to designate the fourth floor as an executive floor, and that will give us a new product to sell in the market."
He added: "The Phoenicia is on a substantial site. It has beautiful gardens and a big area between the hotel building and the bastions of Valletta. So there's an opportunity to improve what we have in terms of perhaps looking at more hotel rooms, more facilities for guests, and that could include spa facilities, conference and banqueting and rooms for longer staying guests. Also, there exists a unique opportunity, in that our property extends right down to the sea across the road that goes round the edge of Valletta. There is an area called the St Rocco baths, which could have great potential, if we could do something that would connect the hotel with the water."
Mr Byrne believes that when the refurbishment is completed the hotel will be in a stronger position to compete, not only with the hotels in Floriana and Valletta and the other five-star hotels in Malta, but will be better able to compete internationally "by having a better quality product".
"We have a great location, Malta is a great country to visit, Valletta is a Unesco heritage site, and we have a fantastic staff here. What we haven't had in the past is a really good quality hotel product and that is what will give us a competitive edge in terms of having something to offer in the international, mainly European market."
He said he would like to see the Phoenicia involved in some of the international hotel marketing groups, such as The Leading Hotels In The World, saying the internet is such a huge market for people choosing hotels that he wants the Phoenicia to be placed on the international stage. "Telling the story of the hotel in the context of Malta's history will be an important part of our marketing," he added.
Asked about tourism's long-term future in Malta he said: "I was fortunate enough to meet Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco and we spoke about how Ireland and Malta have so much in common - both are island nations on the periphery of Europe. You guys get much better weather than we do so we kind of lose out on that one - but definitely being part of Europe is very important, having a good climate and having the euro which makes it easy for people to come here and compare prices.
"Malta's strength lies in its people, there is a natural warm hospitality which is not false, the fact that you are English speaking, the wonderful culture here and the long history going back thousands of years, all of which makes Malta a very easy sell."
The Phoenicia is undergoing a €5 million refurbishment in order to attract more high-quality tourists to Malta. The first phase of the project will be completed by March.
Ray Byrne, an Irish businessman, told The Times Business: "We are much happier to be investing in Malta than investing in Ireland because Ireland has an overcooked economy. We did very well for a number of years but the last four or five years was probably built more on credit and hope than on actual substance. I don't see that happening in Malta. While the market has softened the economy here is much more stable and resilient. We feel Malta is very much able to deal with the challenges out there and like all crises the current economic situation is a cycle. Cycles have downs as well as ups."
He said that at the Phoenicia "we want to be planning for the upturn". He added: "We are not going to dwell on the downturn. We have a very good operation here, we have an excellent team in the hotel, it is very well managed, and it has been managed well in good times and in bad times and because of that we are very much focused on the future."
Mr Byrne, who lives in Ireland and who visits Malta once a month, owns a hotel and has two other hotels under management contract in the west of Ireland.
"My hotels are all boutique style and are individual properties. They are not branded. One is called Wine Port Lodge, which is on a lake, the other is called Lisloughrey Lodge, which is on the grounds of a castle, and the third hotel is called the Ice House and it's on an estuary. They are all beside water and it's great to have a connection with The Phoenicia, which is also close to the water," he said.
Mr Byrne explained that in late 2006, when the Phoenicia was placed on the market, he became involved with a group of Irish people, some of whom are investors in some of the other hotels he is involved in. "The six of us banded together and we bought the hotel from the Meridien group. We talked about a refurbishment programme, we embarked on it and now we are half way through. This is the first phase in a long chapter. The Phoenicia has a long history and it has a great future. It's going to take time, and we are here for the long haul to explore all of the potential that the property has to offer."
"This year we are spending €2.5 million on refurbishing the hotel, and we aim to spend the same again next year," he said.
At the moment a refurbishment is being carried out on half of the bedrooms and all the ground floor which includes the reception, hallway, the Palm Court lounge, the Phoenix Restaurant, the Club Bar and the Pegasus Brassiere, "so it will be a complete makeover in terms of what people see when they come into the hotel and absolute luxury for the third and fourth floor bedrooms. We are going to designate the fourth floor as an executive floor, and that will give us a new product to sell in the market."
He added: "The Phoenicia is on a substantial site. It has beautiful gardens and a big area between the hotel building and the bastions of Valletta. So there's an opportunity to improve what we have in terms of perhaps looking at more hotel rooms, more facilities for guests, and that could include spa facilities, conference and banqueting and rooms for longer staying guests. Also, there exists a unique opportunity, in that our property extends right down to the sea across the road that goes round the edge of Valletta. There is an area called the St Rocco baths, which could have great potential, if we could do something that would connect the hotel with the water."
Mr Byrne believes that when the refurbishment is completed the hotel will be in a stronger position to compete, not only with the hotels in Floriana and Valletta and the other five-star hotels in Malta, but will be better able to compete internationally "by having a better quality product".
"We have a great location, Malta is a great country to visit, Valletta is a Unesco heritage site, and we have a fantastic staff here. What we haven't had in the past is a really good quality hotel product and that is what will give us a competitive edge in terms of having something to offer in the international, mainly European market."
He said he would like to see the Phoenicia involved in some of the international hotel marketing groups, such as The Leading Hotels In The World, saying the internet is such a huge market for people choosing hotels that he wants the Phoenicia to be placed on the international stage. "Telling the story of the hotel in the context of Malta's history will be an important part of our marketing," he added.
Asked about tourism's long-term future in Malta he said: "I was fortunate enough to meet Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco and we spoke about how Ireland and Malta have so much in common - both are island nations on the periphery of Europe. You guys get much better weather than we do so we kind of lose out on that one - but definitely being part of Europe is very important, having a good climate and having the euro which makes it easy for people to come here and compare prices.
"Malta's strength lies in its people, there is a natural warm hospitality which is not false, the fact that you are English speaking, the wonderful culture here and the long history going back thousands of years, all of which makes Malta a very easy sell."