Hilton’s Regional President pays courtesy call on President Wavel Ramkalawan |18 February 2023

Mr Sleiffer during his call on President Ramkalawan (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

The regional President of Hilton, Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, who is responsible for Hilton’s portfolio of hotels in Middle East, Africa and Turkey, yesterday paid a courtesy call on President Wavel Ramkalawan where they talked about the growth of Hilton Seychelles.

Speaking to the local media at the end of his visit, Mr Sleiffer described it as positive especially since Hilton Seychelles plans to extend its presence in the country.

“We currently have four hotels and planning to open two more by the end of this year, but it is also about growth in regards to people who want to work in hospitality in the Seychelles,” he said.

He added that they also focused on the possible future and development for hospitality and the youths of Seychelles.

He said that although Hilton was an international company, it still puts emphasis and importance on the local aspect and they always look forward to giving back to the community. “I think that the people that work in the hotel should be a reflection of the community in which we operate, so we like to work with Seychellois first and foremost,” said Mr Sleiffer.

Another topic discussed was the sustainability factor, which he said was crucial for Seychelles as it was an island nation.

“We have to make sure we take extremely good care of these islands, so we have talked about terminating the use of single-use plastic, having less food waste and really do the things that are right to make sure that we preserve the natural environment that we have here, which is unique,” concluded Mr Sleiffer.

Earlier in the week, the Hilton’s regional president held talks with young students at UniSey, in an attempt to inspire them to join the hotel industry.

Diane Larame