Coral Coast, Fiji, 25 August 2014 – Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort and Spa announces the appointment of Mr Craig Powell as General Manager of Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort and Spa. He replaces Mr Michael Monks who has been in Fiji since 2010.
It is a homecoming for Mr Powell, a Fiji islander who was born in Singapore but grew up in Fiji.
A graduate of the prestigious Swiss Hotel Management School – Ecole Les Roches in 1994, Mr Powell has a wealth of international experience in hospitality spanning 25 years.
Mr Powell began his career in hospitality with the Regent Hotel in Auckland in 1989 before he returned to Fiji where he joined Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort and Spa as a management cadet in 1991. Following a year spent learning about all operational aspects of the resort, Mr Powell was selected to attend Ecole Les Roches, one of the top four hotel management schools worldwide. He graduated from Les Roches in 1994. On his return he joined the Food and Beverage team in a middle management role before taking up his first international posting with Shangri-La’s Golden Flower Resort in Xian, China. Following his stint in China he worked for RF hotels in the United Kingdom and later Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts in Fiji. He re-joined the Shangri-La group in 2002 as Hotel Manager at the Mocambo Hotel (managed by Shangri-La).
In 2006 he was transferred as Resident Manager to Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort in Singapore before he moved to Traders Hotel Shenyang in China in the same position. He was then appointed General Manager of Traders Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar before being posted to Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
In his own words Mr Powell says he has come full circle now and credits his grandmother, the late Margaret Prentice, for his career choice as she was a former executive housekeeper of the legendary Korolevu Beach Resort and then the iconic ‘Fijian Resort’ in its early years. “My family also played a pivotal role in preparing me for the hospitality industry as they entertained frequently during my childhood,” Mr Powell said.
Speaking about his return home to Fiji, Mr Powell says it is always hard to say goodbye to friends made while working abroad but the move back home has been timely on a personal and professional level. “My parents are semi-retired and now live in Savusavu and my wife and I look forward to spending time with them and our extended family and coming back to head the team here is an honour and a challenge I look forward to.
“I began my career with the company here on Yanuca and it means a lot to me to be given this tremendous opportunity by the company to work at home and in a place I have been familiar with since my childhood,” Mr Powell said.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently own and/or manage more than 80 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 34,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in mainland China, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. For more information
and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com
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