Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 33 DESTINATION: LAS VEGAS The Outrigger Group will continue to seek new properties in the Asia Pacific region as it pursues its ambition to become "the premium beachfront resort brand in the world". A lofty ambition, maybe, but it is not one that troubles the fifth- generation family company whose founders, Roy and Estelle Kelley, opened their first hotel in Hawaii in 1947. Outrigger Enterprises Group has grown into one of the largest privately held hotel companies in the Pacific in the last two decades. It operates 40 properties (38 in operation) with approximately 9,000 rooms located in Hawaii, Guam, Fiji, Thailand, Mauritius, Maldives, Vietnam and Hainan Island, China. Four Outrigger properties in Australia have been sold to the Mantra group but Sean Dee, Outrigger executive vice president and chief marketing officer, says OUTRIGGER'S FAMILY VALUES ARE TRAVELLING ACROSS THE OCEANS By Ian Jarrett Mustapha is something of a celebrity chef having run his own culinary TV show. The hunt is on for beachfront opportunities in Asia and Australia. DESTINATION: THAILAND the group is actively seeking potential resorts Down Under. "We would love to be back in Australia," he said. Dee said that David Carey, president and CEO of Outrigger Enterprises, is leading the charge in Asia Pacific, a region that will account for 50% of the company's properties and revenue by the end of the decade. "That means we will be adding one or two flags in the region each year," Dee said. While Outrigger has branched out well beyond its spiritual home of Hawaii, Dee says the values that set the company apart from other brands have travelled with the brand. "We have a long heritage of understanding local culture and bringing a sense of place to our properties," said Dee. "And for more than 20 years we have embraced the Outrigger Way, which places enormous importance on the local hosts (staff) at each property." Outrigger's newest property is the Konotta Maldives Resort, which opened on August 1 and, says Dee, "is a reflection of where the company and the brand is heading". The first guests at the 54-key all-villa property were a family from Dubai. "They have already re-booked with us so I guess we're coming out of the gate really well in the Maldives," Dee said. A key Outrigger initiative at its resorts in the Maldives, Fiji, Hawaii and Thailand is the Outrigger ZONE (OZONE), an initiative centred on protecting the health of coral reefs and the oceans surrounding its iconic beach destinations. "It's a small initiative but it's gaining strength. At each property we are planting coral that will grow into an area about the size of a football field. I wouldn't say it drives a lot of room bookings but I believe it reinforces the values of our family company," Dee said. In Thailand, the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort has reopened the new look Metzo's Bistro and Bar where Lebanese chef Mustapha Haj Omar is at the helm. The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant says it is on a culinary mission "to regale Phuket tourists and residents". Metzo's features an open kitchen, private dining spaces, and an all-new mezze and tapas counter. A full service cocktail bar leads out to a new garden terrace area and in a first for Phuket, Metzo's now offers a craft beer selection with imported IPA and amber ales with recommendations for pairing with select dishes. Mustapha is something of a celebrity chef having run his own culinary TV show on Bahraini TV, cooked for the Saudi Royal Family and been head chef in a six-star resort in the Maldives. Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort.

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