Hospitality Malta 02 | Page 56

I asked: “So why do guests choose The Phoenicia Hotel? And why should DMCs and MICE choose The Phoe- nicia for their events? The DMC and MICE Customer And the answer provided by Charles was quite simple: “We are confident that we have something special to offer - Non corporate – Specialised - Individual.” The Phoenicia’s General Manager added that “as the situation now stands, the ‘new’ Phoenicia is able to of- fer much more value than before to the DMCs and MICE custom- er in general, especially in re- gards to catering for conferences as facilities have been significant- ly enhanced and enlarged.” The meeting rooms, ballroom and a luscious theatre-style hall capa- ble of taking 300 persons form part of the product portfolio. “The theatre is equipped with new air-conditioning, a new lighting scheme, new parquet flooring, a new colour scheme,… it’s all to- tally new. Lounges have been re- furbished. And we’ve done a lot on the meetings side too,” he ex- plained. Charles added that they also specialise in smaller groups of 40-50 rooms, providing facilities which include a beautiful board for up to 15 people, as an example. Their job in this regard is to help people push their wanted message across to their guests, and they need to make it happen impecca- bly and memorably. “Even at short notice,” he added. are more interested in living this cultural experience than living it up in, say, St Julian’s. “This part of our social responsi- bility goes hand in hand with our corporate responsibility to help and provide for others, which we maintained even while the hotel was closed. And our support of the Baroque festival and of the Jazz Festival date back to their origins. This too then tends to translate into financial results in the lean- er, shoulder periods of the year” he explained. The Unity of Values “It is experiences of being part of cultural celebrations such as the Valletta Baroque Festival, the Jazz festival, operas at the Manoel Theatre,” he said, that corrobo- rates the hotel’s reach to the peo- ple who appreciate culture, who Prior to the closing of the hotel for its refurbishment, the hotel prid- ed itself with a staff complement that was about 95% Maltese and therefore that it employed local talent. When it came to reopening, The Phoenicia’s MICE facilities have been significantly enhanced and enlarged. 54 SEPTEMBER | 2017 photo: HOSPITALITY the Grand MALTA Ballroom playing its role for a conference customer