OLBIA. It changes brand and goes beyond the summer season. The former DoubleTree by Hilton becomes Delta Hotels by Marriott and bets on the city, remaining open even in the low season months. It is one of the innovations that emerged this morning during a meeting between the hotel’s top management, the press and the authorities, in the presence of the hotel’s owner, Maurizio De Pascale.
“Marriott is the n.1 brand in the world – said De Pascale to our microphones -. I thank the entire structure and all those who worked for this important step. We believe in this city but even more in Sardinia. This year we will do this experiment of being open all year round to help the area be even more attractive beyond the summer, also working with marketing aimed at offering Gallura day by day”.
In his greetings, De Pascale did not miss the opportunity to ask the representatives of the Municipality, Sabrina Serra (deputy mayor), but above all of Cipnes (the president was present in the room Gianni Sarti), “not to leave the hotel like a cathedral in the desert”. The reference is to an outline of countryside and roads not quite up to the mark. “We will work together to revive the neighborhood” she added.
“We are very happy that the hotel remains open all year round – underlined the deputy mayor Sabrina Serra -. Olbia is not just a tourist destination in the summer months. Both as experiential tourism, for the discovery of the territory, of the history of the whole of Sardinia with the main gateway city to the island, and also for the development of the conference and training segment. We are making the city more and more livable with infrastructures and the increase in services so that Olbia is a true city of permanence”.
Also present at the conference table Giuseppe Meloni, vice-president of the Region: “We often ask ourselves who should take the first step: should we first create flights or open hotels? You have taken the first step for the Sardinia destination and we too are working in this direction, and I personally hope to be able to make a contribution also by virtue of my past as mayor of a tourist municipality”.
Also Paolo Manca, regional president of Federalberghi, thanked the De Pascale Pellegrini family for this great news for the area. “Sardinia is worth 10% of national tourism in August, but on an annual basis we are only worth 3%. This is why tourism requires capable entrepreneurs and winning bets.”
For Ramona Cherchi, general manager of Delta Hotels, the new brand and the year-round opening “are a signal for the area but also a demand generator for some carriers that want to invest in an international winter flight. It’s a gamble and we are aware of it.” But the central topic of his speech concerns the difficulty in finding the right staff to work in the hospitality industry.
“Hotels are made up of people. And without people we cannot offer services. This is why the whole sector must work as a team with institutions, universities and schools to make kids fall back in love with this job. Not all companies make employees work 17 hours a day locked in a kitchen or restaurant. Just as in society there are good people and less good ones, there are good and less good companies, this applies to every segment of the community. The whole hospitality industry is experiencing a drama in terms of employment but we hope that in a few years it will just be a bad memory. In the meantime, I wish all my colleagues, from the youngest to the oldest and to all of Sardinia, an excellent season.”
