Labriz Resort listed to feature on hotel classification programme pilot test in 2015 |28 March 2015

Minister St Ange and his delegation during the visit on Silhouette

The Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa is in the run to feature as one of the 50 hotels to be assessed under the pilot test for the hotel classification programme.

The Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange said the pilot test for the hotel classification programme or grading scheme will take effect during the course of 2015 while the official programme will be initiated in 2016.

Minister St Ange made this announcement during his door to door hotel visit for 2015 which kicked off at Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa on Silhouette island last Friday afternoon.

The minister was accompanied by principal secretary for tourism Anne Lafortune and that for culture Benjamine Rose, and the chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board Sherin Naiken.

The delegation met Claus Steiner, the cluster general manager of Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Double Tree Hilton Seychelles Allamanda Resort & Spa, Smiral Shah-Boultwood, cluster director of Business Hilton Seychelles Hotels and Lawrence Tuck, resort manager Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa for a tour of the establishment.

Stretched along 2.5 kilometres of powder-soft beach, Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa is a high-end property with 30 garden villas, 63 beach front villas, one presidential villa, eight deluxe hillside pool villas and nine deluxe beach front pool villas.

Minister St Ange and his delegation started the visit at the 19th century plantation house known as Grann Kaz initially built by the Dauban family. Today, it serves as the resort’s authentic Creole restaurant. With the backdrop of Grann Kaz, Minister St Ange observed Heshan Pieris, the executive chef at Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa staging the shooting of one of his contemporary Creole dishes, which will eventually appear on Youtube.

Heshan Pieris is passionate about using locally sourced organic spices, fruits and vegetables grown on Silhouette island to create his own signature dishes combining traditional ingredients with modern skills to create contemporary Creole dishes.

One of Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa’s greatest prides is its six couple treatment suites snuggled on a hillside between ancient rock and sprawling Silhouette lust green vegetations. Such site was included on the ministerial touring programme of the day together with its famous Portobello Italian restaurant, its activity club, fitness centre, and its boutiques. The visit ended at Sakura and Teppanyaki, South East Asian Kitchen.

Minister St Ange used this new series of hotel visits to highlight that this year the Ministry of Tourism and Culture would be concentrating on the product.
 
"The marketing of Seychelles is working, but our attention needs to now look at the product that we market. The Brand Seychelles needs to live up to expectation. We have listened attentively to concerns raised only a week ago at the last cross-sectorial meeting where tourism entrepreneurs who sit outside the hotel network airing their concern at the prices being put forward for beverage including bottled water and coffee at some hotels. This is the problem we are facing when we are perceived to be killing the goose that lays the golden egg," said Minister St Ange. On the Silhouette visit Minister St Ange met a majority of the resort's staff and all the management team.