GENERAL manager of Melia Braco Village, Jamaica, Dimitris Kosvogiannis is positioning the Trelawny-based hotel to be rated one stage higher than the usual five-star hotels.

In fact, he is eyeing the rebranding and expansion of the current 230-room hotel over the next two years to reflect the high-end Melia brand, Paradisus Resorts, found in Mexico, Dominca Republic, and Costa Rica.

“Melia has several brands within it, Paradisus being one of those brands. But that brand requires a larger number of rooms, and we are looking — all going well in the next two years — to double our room count,” the general manager told the Jamaica Observer at a press launch of the Melia Braco Village yesterday.

“So this is something that is being completed; we are doing macro planning and it depends on several factors, including the economy and the performance of the hotel,” he said.

Kosvogiannis says plans are underway for the opening of the 84-acre property on December 15, beginning with the hosting of a two-day job fair, the first of which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on September 19, followed by another in October.

He told the audience the company has already secured two executive directors in the portfolios of sales and marketing, and food and beverage. Employment opportunities should abound as Melia Braco is looking to recruit 440 staff, only five of which could be expatriates.

“We are aiming for a 100 per cent Jamaican labour force, and we are looking for the best in the business. What that means is that we may have to go outside of Jamaica to find the people we need, but our priority is Jamaicans living overseas. If it is that we have other nationals, it will only be for a short time to train the locals,” he stated.

He added that part of becoming a six-star international resort requires the company to adopt more service-oriented skills. He added that Jamaicans are known for good customer service qualities, and as such will be targeting a ratio of two individuals per room at 70 per cent occupancy.

“Four hundred and forty staff is a critical number of staff. We have 225 rooms, so, having 440 staff, we are looking at almost two persons per room, which is a ratio of almost 1.3 per guest at full occupancy. That is one of the highest level ratios in Jamaica, which of course speaks directly to the kind of service we want to have,” Kosvogiannis stated.

“We want to breach the five-star hotel standard; we want to be first hotel that approaches the six star.”

The resort consists of 225 rooms with a colonial design, and features five restaurants and a variety of bars, pools and spas. So far, the investment budget of the renovation of the hotel runs close to US$23.5 million. Kosvogiannis hopes to recover that investment over the next eight years.

“Although we have a projected average of 70 per cent, obviously in the summertime there is a valley, but throughout the relevant months, January to April, we do expect full occupancy,” he stated.

Braco is owned by the National Insurance Fund, which has forged an agreement with Melia to operate the property under a 15-year lease.