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“In order to survive on an island that hasn’t got any water or minerals and hasn’t got much agriculture you have to be creative, you have to be inventive,” says Alfred Pisani.
Those are certainly traits that Malta’s leading entrepreneur embodies. Since the 1960s he has built up his Corinthia Hotel group to the point where it now has eight luxury properties in seven countries and is expanding all the time. The most recent addition came in May, with the opening of its five star hotel close to London’s Trafalgar Square.
As the group’s first establishment in the UK, Corinthia Hotel London boasts 294 rooms (including 43 suites) in a building that dates back to 1885. Modern designs contrast with a stately outward appearance, in an attempt to bring the past and present together right at the heart of the British capital.
Despite the evident success of the group today, however, the origins of the business go back to more complicated times. Pisani had been planning a career in the sciences, but when his father died suddenly his plans changed.
“My father had just bought this big villa with a large mortgage, so out of necessity we started using the hall for wedding receptions. Two years later, we opened the restaurant,” he says.
With the government of the time keen to boost the economy and the island’s infrastructure, grants and tax breaks were being offered to hotel developers, so Pisani put together a plan for a hotel attached to the restaurant.
When his first design for a 40-room hotel failed to win approval, he expanded his plans and aimed for a 156-room hotel instead.
Pisani’s new plan was successful and after having received a grant and raising bank finance, he hasn’t looked back.
The Palace Hotel remains at the heart of the group’s operations, but most of the properties are now overseas, including hotels in Prague, St Petersburg and Lisbon. This international expansion is done with a clear strategy.
“The first thing that we look at is location. Location is very important and it makes it easier to succeed,” he says. “We have always been interested in finding buildings that have a stately appearance. But it doesn’t mean we’re going to go for heavy red drapes as if you’ve gone back 100 years. You will find a sense of grandeur, but in a lighter manner.” |
