Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives has launched a program to groom Maldivians for hotel and resort management, providing training in Thailand and Switzerland to selected personnel who will continue to receive full pay and benefits during their studies.
The program is operated by Centara Hotels & Resorts of Thailand, who use it to train potential managers as preparation for the continuing expansion of the group, and is facilitated by the head office in Bangkok.
Included in the training are five months in Thailand, initially the theoretical training by Dhurakij Pundit University and followed by the real-time management training at selected properties of Centara Hotels & Resorts, and then seven months in Switzerland with Swiss College of Hospitality Management Lenk.
Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives opened in 2009, as Centara’s first Maldives venture. Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives will open in March 2013, and a third resort is currently under construction.
Centara’s Area Director of Human Resources for Maldives, Mohamed Solih Didi, says the aim is to train the next generation of managers to lead the resorts.
“This is a completely new program for us,” he said, “We want to open new opportunities for Maldivians working in our resorts and to offer them satisfying and rewarding careers in the hospitality industry.
“This is just the beginning of what will be a continuing program over the years.”
The first student to be selected under the program is Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa’s Assistant Manager of Food and Beverage, Ahmed Husnee, who was chosen from a total of four candidates who applied for the scholarship.
“I joined Centara due to the number of career development opportunities available here,” said Mr. Husnee, “That was three years ago, and I joined as a waiter. I have progressed from that time into management, and now I really have a wonderful opportunity to enhance my career.
“After completing this program I hope to become a Senior Manager, and my ambition is to become a General Manager in the future.”
In addition to this program Centara Maldives runs an apprenticeship program in conjunction with the Institute of Management Studies. The apprenticeship program is conducted according to the syllabus of the Maldives National University’s Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies.
“We are aiming to create more career development opportunities for our team members,” said Voytek Klasicki, Area General Manager in the Maldives for Centara Hotels & Resorts.
“We are opening new resorts in the Maldives and our programs will operate at each of the resorts.”
Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading operator of hotels, with 40 deluxe and first-class properties covering all the major tourist destinations in the Kingdom. A further 18 resorts in the Maldives, Vietnam, Bali Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius Indian Ocean, brings the present total to 58 properties. Brands and properties within Centara ensure that specific categories such as couples, families, individuals, and meetings and incentives groups will all find a hotel or resort that is appropriate to their needs.
Centara operates 25 branches of Spa Cenvaree, one of Thailand’s most luxurious and innovative spa brands, together with its newly-launched value brand Cense by Spa Cenvaree, which provides core spa services for busy travelers. The company’s Kids’ Club is available at all the family-friendly resorts to ensure that the youngsters and teens are taken care of. Centara Hotels & Resorts also operates two state-of-the-art convention centers in Bangkok, and two in northeastern Thailand, one being located in Udon Thani and the other in Khon Kaen.
The latest Centara brand is named COSI Hotels, an economy brand designed for travelers who predominantly make their bookings via the Internet and who want comfort and convenience at the most friendly prices available, which is under development with the first property due to open in 2015.
For more information and reservations, please contact tel. +662 101 1234 ext. 1 or e-mail to [email protected] or visit http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com
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WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The latest Centara brand is named COSI Hotels, an economy brand designed for travelers who predominantly make their bookings via the Internet and who want comfort and convenience at the most friendly prices available, which is under development with the first property due to open in 2015.
- “This is a completely new program for us,” he said, “We want to open new opportunities for Maldivians working in our resorts and to offer them satisfying and rewarding careers in the hospitality industry.
- “After completing this program I hope to become a Senior Manager, and my ambition is to become a General Manager in the future.
