10 Mar 2014

Veteran hotelier in Fiji says selling resorts was in interests of staff

8:22 am on 10 March 2014

A veteran hotel and resort owner in Fiji says selling out of his successful ventures was in the interests of guaranteeing continuity for his staff.

Geoffrey Shaw, the former owner of Castaway Island Resort and Outrigger on the Lagoon, recently announced he was selling the resorts after 40 years in Fiji.

He says securing the future of dedicated staff was a major priority in the sale.

Mr Shaw received the Vissionary Award at last month's AON Excellence in Tourism Awards in Nadi, and says he will still remain as a consultant to the new owners, the Outrigger Group of companies.

He says some of his greatest experiences include 'family time' with staff as they rebuilt after cyclones in 1997 and 2012.

"And those were some of the best times I've had, I've got to say, where we had just our staff, there were no guests, just our staff. And those close-down days, and those rebuild days were exciting, they were extraordinarily hard work, but the outcome speaks for itself - once again Castaway is right back on its platform."

Geoffrey Shaw.