The Corinthia Group recently celebrated its 49th anniversary with a grand gala dinner and an awards presentation night held at the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa in Attard.

The event, hosted by Corinthia chairman and CEO Alfred Pisani, was attended by members of the Pisani family, group directors, senior executives, long-serving team members and employees of the year from all the hotels operated by the group internationally.

Award presentations were held in the hotel’s Chameleon hall and included continuous service certificates and gifts to no fewer than 140 Corinthia Malta employees with five to 35 years of uninterrupted service and 14 ‘employee of the year’ winners from the company’s hotels and other subsidiaries.

Presentations were followed by a gala dinner, fittingly held in the Corinthia Room, the hotel’s main restaurant and the company’s birthplace. Entertainment was provided by Carousel, a troupe of Russian musicians and Cossack dancers brought over for the event.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr Pisani said: “Commitment and determination have been our driving force from day one, as indeed they still are to this day.

“This spirit is very much in evidence in all our hotels worldwide, especially among our very dedicated employees, and therefore it is only fitting that they are present here tonight, to share with us the results of our enthusiasm and join us in celebrating our 49th anniversary.”

It was on December 6, 1962, that the four Pisani brothers had inaugurated the upmarket Corinthia Restaurant in the family’s art nouveau villa at San Anton. The fine-dining restaurant was soon to become the focal point for Malta’s ‘gourmet’ society.

By 1964, plans were drawn up for the 155-room Corinthia Palace Hotel on Villa Corinthia’s extensive grounds. The deluxe hotel was eventually inaugurated on June 11, 1968, in the presence of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The Corinthia Group is today at the forefront in the hospitality industry not only locally but also overseas, with existing hotels and new developments in 14 destinations, latest of which is the flagship Corinthia Hotel London.

A toast to Corinthia Group’s and to the employees’ continued success brought the evening to a close.