...always be on
the lookout for
and be ready to
grasp opportunities
with long-term
prospects, even if the
initial investment is
a challenge
The cost went up significantly but
it was the right decision because we
were able to substantially increase
the space and the number of beds.
We worked very closely with MEPA
(the Maltese Environment and Planning Authority), in fact we spent a
whole week locked up with them,
looking at designs and then getting our designers to work through
the night to come up with something better for the next morning.
When I look back over my career
now, I’m sure my proudest moment
was standing on that podium at the
opening ceremony of Golden Sands.
We were the first in Malta to introduce the concept of a combined hotel and timeshare resort and the first
to build to this specification, with
After getting from Winston his Island story, our three final questions were a
little more personal but still relevant to Malta’s future as well as his own:
If you could wave a magic wand just once, what single change would you wish to bring
about in Malta?
He was clear about his answer: “I would tarmac every road in Malta. This would bring
so many obvious benefits to the Maltese and to visitors to Malta. The place would look so
much better. It would make Malta much cleaner. And then the six star tourists would come.
I’m sure the money could be found, and it could all be done in under a year.”
What do you like most about staying in hotels? Which is your favourite hotel and why?
Winston told us that he’d like to carry a room from Golden Sands with him wherever he
goes but when we told him that the rules of the question did not allow this, he said that the
Corinthia London was his favourite “and I’m not just saying that because Alfred Pisani
of the Corinthia Group and I have been good friends for the last 45 years.” What does
this hotel have? “It’s central. I like the décor. The service is second to none. Everyone is
welcomed, everyone is treated like a VIP. There’s a focus on cleanliness and on quality.
And there’s a special area for cigar smokers.” Perhaps his answer to this question reveals
something of what Island Hotels Group strives to accomplish in its own establishments.
What are your own plans for the future?
“I’m staying on as Chairman for now, but the urge to retire is growing stronger. I want to
spend more time with my family. I work with some voluntary organisations and I want to
put something back into the community.”
different sizes of apartment available
for vacation ownership. Currently we
are operating at around 40% hotel
and 60% timeshare. Again we operated to a very tight time scale but we
created at least 400 jobs during the
26 months of construction and then
270 permanent jobs in the hotel and
another 100 in the timeshare operation. The crowning moment after
the opening was the government’s
request that we host the 2005 CHOGM which I believe Commonwealth
people even now talk about as a great
success.” Perhaps Island Hotels might
take a little credit for the fact that
Malta’s credentials as an international conference host - as manifested by
CHOGM 2015, the 2015 EU-Africa
Migration conference and the annual Mediterranean Tourism Forum are now well established.
Notable among the other businesses in the Islands Hotels Group is
Island Caterers, the brainchild of
Winston’s son, Winston J Zahra,
who started this up after returning
from studying business in the UK
in the nineties: it has now “one of
the best” catering companies in the
islands (“It’s not for me to say that
it’s the best”) with a range of prestige
locations in its portfolio, including the Mediterranean Conference
Centre, and a capability for delivering dinner for thousands at a time.
Through their purchase of the
whole ownership of Buttigieg Holdings, Island Hotels Group also has
the Costa Coffee franchise not just
for Malta but also for the east coast
of Spain with plans to increase from
ten to twenty outlets here by March
2016 and on to 75 outlets in Spain,
the Balearics and the Canaries over
the next five years. There does seem
to be a pattern in all this, at least
now that the days of the sheepskin
coats are long gone: grow your business in the areas you know but always be on the lookout for and be
ready to grasp opportunities with
long-term prospects, even if the