One on One

Maltese Fellow

Geoff Andrew, group director of sales and marketing for Corinthia Hotels, on joining forces with Wyndham.

Global Traveler: Tell us about the recent events at Corinthia Hotels International.

Geoff Andrew: We are very excited as the Wyndham Hotel Group and the Corinthia Group have partnered in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This is a joint venture in which CHI, Corinthia Hotels International, is solely responsible for managing. Our initial plans are to shrink the number of existing Corinthia-owned luxury hotels to seven. Corinthia will continue to grow into a multibrand company as the remainder of our properties are rebranded to Ramada Plaza, Wyndham Hotels, and certain Corinthia-branded properties become affiliated with a new tier – the Wyndham Grand Collection.

GT: What are some highlights of your career that have brought you to this exciting point with the company?

GA: I have been with the company four years. I started in Malta and have recently relocated to the U.K. What has made my time with Corinthia so special is understanding who Corinthia is and how they began. It is a small family business situated in a remarkable place, Malta — the most densely populated part of Europe. In Malta, we understand the importance of tourism, as it makes up 25 percent of the nation’s GDP.

Prior to joining Corinthia, I was associated with the Summit Group. Before that, I was senior vice president at Utell in Phoenix. I spent seven and a half years in the United States. My two sons were born in Nebraska and my daughter was born in Phoenix. My experience in international distribution has helped me to bring an international perspective to Corinthia.

GT: How will the new joint venture with Wyndham affect the services and amenities at your properties?

GA: The spirit of Corinthia, an authentic and distinctive hospitality characterized by warmth, color and vitality, will be reflected in all our hotels. Corinthia is a family-owned business that manages and builds the hotels, taking pride in ownership. Corinthia Hotels has an excellent track record of generating significant returns for owners and is highly respected in the hospitality field for successfully pioneering some of the hottest destinations – Prague, Budapest, St. Petersburg, Russia, Turkey and, most recently, Tripoli. We want to introduce these off-the-beaten-path destinations to American travelers. We have made an extra effort in the past two years to entice Americans to visit our hotels by reaching out to ambassadors, chambers of commerce and U.S. companies. Our venture with Wyndham will enhance this effort. We will be positioning the Wyndham Grand Collection into the upper tier of luxury hotels, allowing us to further expand and market our product to U.S. travelers.

GT: What amenities will the business traveler continue to enjoy at domestic and international properties?

GA: We believe the business traveler is the cornerstone of our business. The industry is moving toward complimentary Internet and you will find we do the same in executive rooms. We also offer high-speed Internet in all hotels. We also take the meetings and incentives market to a new level. Any MICE group from the United States is entitled to free Internet access. We also offer video-conferencing, extensive meeting space, separate check-in and we will cluster rooms to accommodate a group. We have created a unique service, Events@Corinthia, for group meetings and planners. If you host your meetings in Prague and enjoyed working with your staff in Prague, we’ll send that same Events@Corinthia assistant to the next Corinthia property you select for your meeting — no matter where in the world.