Meet Paul van Frank, a seasoned hotelier with 30 years of experience in luxury resorts worldwide. Known for his integrity, guest-centric approach, and adeptness in operations and sales marketing
It is hard to believe, that some 30 years have already elapsed since I first met Paul van Frank, at the time, when he was the General Manager of “The Plantation Club Resort & Casino” ( later rebranded as the “Kempinski Seychelles Resort” located on the island of Mahe). Paul can best be described, as an “Old School Hotelier”, who values principles such as “honesty, integrity, fairness and loyalty”. He is a seasoned, multi-lingual & undoubtedly, accomplished Hotelier, with a proven track record in Operations as well as an in-depth expertise in all aspects of Sales Marketing.
Paul is very “guest centric” with an extraordinary eye for detail, who will go to great length to achieve optimal guest satisfaction. Having many times watched Paul in action so to speak, he adopts a “hands-on approach” and is clearly an inspirational leader, who believes in working closely with his team, to deliver the highest standards and achieve the desired financial results. Paul has a sound business acumen with a deep understanding of the need to be very “bottom-line driven”. What I have always admired in Paul being his passion for developing young talent leading to be baled to create a bond with his team.
I start this way to speak about a Team Member of the Hospitality Fraternity because too often it is forgotten that behind every succesful Hotel & Resort sits a dedicated hospitality professional amassing a wealth of experience and knowledge. Who benefits from these years of knowledge at the end? Is the question many continue to ask?
Paul van Frank, the hotelier, is a typical Belgian with an infectious sense of humour and a true love for the Culinary Art. By the same token Paul has equally demonstrated time and time over his competence & proficiency with “pre-openings “, as well as the “rebranding” and “repositioning” of 5-star Hotels.
Paul is a passionate and truly committed professional, who has acquired a reputation for “getting the job done” even when facing challenging & complex situations demanding a high level of diplomacy, flexibility & sensitivity.
In all honesty, over the course of the past 3 decades, I must applaud Paul for his tenacity & unwavering determination to persevere in the adversity, having survived the ‘tsunami” in Thailand, the bombing in Bali, serious earth quakes in Istanbul, multiple hurricanes and cyclones in the Indian ocean, yet somehow always able to remain calm, collect and still able to maintain a positive attitude, whilst overcoming such unexpected serious incidents.
Paul can only be qualified as an expert in having successfully run a series of 5 star ‘luxury” Resorts in a variety of tropical destinations, such as “Como Shambhala Estate” (formerly known as “Begawan Giri Estate” in Bali), the highly acclaimed “Fregate Island Private” in the Seychelles, the no 1 Destination Spa in the World, being the muti award winning “Ananda in the Himalayas” in India, as well as “Le Jadis Beach Resort & Wellness Mauritius” ( part of the portfolio of “Banyan Tree Hotels & Resots”).
As Paul and I keep sporadically meeting at different “ International Travel Trade Fairs”, in all sincerity, I hope that Paul van Frank will continue his pursuit of excellence around the world for many years to come.
Hospitality and Tourism as and Industry needs many more years of the likes of Paul van Frank.
Alain St.Ange is the Seychelles former Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine who now heads his own ‘Saint Ange Tourism Consultancy’.
Many International magazines and press have covered him when he was still in office as the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine but the man, is now more active than ever with tourism consultancy work with Tourism Boards, Ministries of Tourism and the Private Sector Trade across our great continent of Africa and also in the ASEAN Block who has even been contracted by the World Bank to work alongside Ministers of Tourism in Africa to assist in the relook of their tourism industry.
Alain St.Ange is remembered for many things among which is the massive increase in visibility for his Seychelles islands which he succeeded through developing a positive relationship with the International Press and by turning the Seychelles into a cultural events-based tourism destination over and above showcasing its key USPs: - sun, sea and sand. He was successful and that translated in recognition by the world of tourism and the press fraternity which in turn helped to deliver increased in visitor arrival numbers. St.Ange and his Team in Seychelles never missed an opportunity in those days to spell out that success was visibility, visibility and visibility because otherwise the destination would simply fade away. He is recognised for never leaving a stone unturned in that mission for Seychelles .
