THE INTERVIEW : ALFRED PISANI
BATTLE-
TESTED
HOTELIER
CORINTHIA FOUNDER ALFRED PISANI HAS OPERATED IN SURVIVAL MODE MORE THAN ONCE . NOW HE HAS HIS SIGHTS SET ON COMPETING WITH THE BEST IN LUXURY HOTELKEEPING .
By Jeff Weinstein , editor in chief
In 1960 , when Alfred Pisani was 20 , his father bought a beautiful house in Malta with tremendous gardens . Three months later , Alfred ’ s budding interest in scientific research had to be shelved as his father died unexpectedly , leaving the family a beautiful mortgage . Young Pisani boldy took the lead and , unbeknownst to him , started what has become an illustrious hotel career .
Instead of moving into the new house , the family started renting the space for receptions , did some light catering there and by 1962 was able to borrow US $ 20,000 to turn the space into an 80-seat restaurant .
In 1964 , when Malta was gaining independence and needed to diversify its economy , Pisani developed a grander plan . “ We made an application to build a hotel ,” Pisani recalls . “ I received a $ US2.5 million loan , became my own contractor and built a 150-room hotel , which opened as the Corinthia Palace in 1968 , and that was the beginning .”
Today , 50 years later , the founder and group chairman of Corinthia Hotels now leads a company with nine branded hotels and a handful of third-party managed hotels across the Mediterranean and central Europe , not to mention a new flagship in London .
However , despite recent critical acclaim in London and announced aspirations to become a global luxury player in cities like Paris , Beijing and New York , the road has not been an easy one for Pisani . Recently he had to manage through the decision to remain the only hotel open in Tripoli during the Libyan revolution , and almost simultaneously fend off claims his company had ties to the Ghadafi regime .
In the end , the Corinthia Bab Africa in Tripoli came through the war with just a few scratches , and Pisani optimistically points to a discreet non-party conference held in Malta in mid-September to discuss re-investment in Libya . At the same time , Pisani has also been able to refute all claims his portfolio had ties to the ousted Libyan government .
Ever the survivor , Pisani attributes much of the success of the Corinthia Hotels to “ the spirit of Corinthia ” and the “ craftsmanship of care ,” and he says that is why Corinthia invests heavily in personnel and management training as well as focuses on service .
Pisani recently spoke to HOTELS while he was in New York City to showcase seven new suites being introduced in London , with the largest 5,000-sq-ft ( 465-sq-m ) space fetching US $ 15,000 a night . He talked about his journey , his company ’ s philosophy and its future . HOTELS : How is your London hotel doing ? Alfred Pisani : It has become the buzz of the city and is now performing in the same league of the top luxury properties in London . We have managed to provide a sense of opulence and elegance within a feeling of lightness with beautiful colors and a spring-like effect . Our designers understood our brief and executed well .
This is our first year , and we are looking for 60 % occupancy with a £ 450 ( US $ 726 ) average rate . It will take two
www . hotelsmag . com June 2012 HOTELS 37