Time out, but not time off

WHILE the Gulf crisis has caused many tourism operators to hold their breath and put plans on hold, the Warwick International Group is forging ahead with plans for the Naviti and the former Hyatt Hotel on Fiji’s Coral Coast.

According to the Senior Manager of

Warwick International Hotels, Fiji, Bertrand

Dourmap: “The president

of our company, Richard Chiu, has given us a direc tive to keep our heads up and put our heads together, to think of ways

to improve our operation

while we have the chance. 1988 and 1990 were busy years for the industry here, and he believes that this is a time which we can use to build ourselves up.”

Warwick International Hotels’ moves in Fiji have been based on this optimis tic approach to uncertain times buying places with

potential for improvement, and buying

when others are baling out.

The company, which has hotels in Europe, the United States, Jamaica and Hong Kong, had plans for the South Pacific at least as early as 1979. By that time The Hyatt, which had experienced a troubled beginning, had changed hands several times. The Warwick group was still positive, so they made The Hyatt their first Fiji acquisition.

The coups of. 1987 were also viewed as a time for expansion.

According to Executive Director of Warwick International Hotels, Fiji, Tammie Tam: “We had an idea that Fiji was a good place to continue our

investment, so at the end of 1987 the company’s managing director, Mr Chiu, and I came here to look at other investments. After the coup many people were leaving, but we took it as a good time to move ahead.”

They began negotiating and took over the Naviti in July, 1988. They started

giving it a multi-million dollar facelift, designed to catch the family market.

Renovations already total $5 million and an additional S 2 million to $4 million will be spent on the public areas.

The company is also planning to build another 150 rooms. The Naviti presently is on 36 acres, and another 35 acres of agricultural land have been purchased to facilitate this.

According to Tam, The Native Land Trust Board and the Minister for Tour ism have allocated it for tourism, “so we should be able to consolidate the pieces of land we have, and extend it to a 300 room hotel”.

But that is more a five-year plan. The

company will update and renovate what it has first.

The latest step for the Warwick group in Fiji has been to take over the running of the former Hyatt themselves. After successful arbitration recently, they were able to cut short the Hyatt’s manage ment contract.

They plan to start renovating the

rooms on June 1, starting with one third of the hotel, and finishing in two years.

According to Dourmap, the company

is also in the process of improving the food and beverage facilities, renovat ing existing ones and estab lishing a new 5200,000 Italian restaurant.

They plan to upgrade the cafe, and move the Hibiscus lounge/disco downstairs. The present Hugos Restaurant, which can accommodate 200, will be made more intimate by moving it upstairs and making it smaller.

According to Dourmap and Tam, the dining changes fit into plans for an image more suited to the Warwick’s location and

character. It will still aim for the upper notch of the market but, as Tam explains, it will become known as a resort hotel as distinct from a city hotel.

“This is more appropriate than giving a hotel a name like Hyatt, because some people arrive with expectations linked to city hotels,” she said.

Eventually, the group may look at acquiring an island so that they can cover three different corners of the market. But, as Dourmap cautions, plans could be reshaped by the Gulf crisis.

For now, it is breathing space. As Tam explained: “We will take time and make sure we get everything right.” □

Tam and Dourmap: Renovating the Warwick the right way