help to upgrade the rooms in line with today’s requirements and facilities.
The newly appointed chief executive officer of the company, Philippe Lonfat, explained: “The hospitality industry is continuously demanding new standards, products and experiences. Our company’s vision is to maintain a strong presence in the local market as one of the leading leisure properties on the island.”
The Hotel’s board appointed Philippe Lonfat earlier this year as its new Chief Executive Officer. In his new role Mr Lonfat will be overseeing the hotel’s operations as well as the company’s refurbishing works. Simultaneously the Suncrest Hotel will be consolidating its efforts to strengthen the recently introduced concept of vacation ownership. In fact work is in hand to convert a number of rooms into luxurious apartments.
Speaking about the refurbishment programme, Mr Lonfat said that with a refurbishment programme underway, the year ahead is going to be an extremely challenging one.
Our objectives will be to gain on lost ground and increase occupancy in the shoulder and winter periods. This will not be an easy task as the leisure industry is again suffering from weak demand. Nevertheless, given the prime location of the hotel together with the investment being made to refurbish our guest room, our targets should be attained by the end of the year. Mr Lonfat added that he is determined to give a specific direction to this new position to complement further the Suncrest Hotel’s endeavours to guarantee an excellent service and set impeccable standards.
Mr Lonfat brings with him a wealth of experience and joins the Suncrest after a long and established career in the hospitality sector which spans 23 years. Philippe Lonfat (41), is a Swiss national married to Jennifer (nee Garcia) and has 2 children, Nadege and Jerome. His up-bringing, due to his father’s position in the Oil Industry, gave him the possibility to live in over 11 different countries and travel the world from an early age. Philippe Lonfat graduated from the Ecole Hoteliere Vieux-Bois in Geneva and the Hotel Management School of Glion.
He has held several management positions with various hotels in Malta and Tunisia. Between 1992 and 1999 he worked for the Corinthia Group and then moved to the Westin Dragonara Resort. For the past four years, he has been Executive Assistant Manager at the Grand Hotel Mercure San Antonio in Qawra, part of the Accor chain group.