MDA’s five-star service

How is the job going so far?

I’m busy at the moment. I’ve just taken over a project in Prague, which Rocco Forte is also involved in. The rest of the time I’ve spent networking.

The Prague project is interesting – the site contains an old monastery and there are four other buildings that we are trying to connect it to. It’s a big challenge because all the buildings are listed. So working with a local architect we’re balancing between the requirements of the local authority and achieving a five-star hotel. The regulations can be tough.

We’ve also bid for a few projects recently, one in St Petersburg.

As we don’t have an office in the Middle East, this is one area that is important to MDA. Otherwise, Eastern Europe is on the agenda.

I have an advantage here as I spent three years working in Germany for Rocco Forte, so understand the mentality there.

Why did you decide to move?

A contact suggested MDA might be a good place to work – which I did not consider at first. But the more I looked into it the more it appealed to me. The move was amicable and a mutual agreement. MDA is a good firm to work for from a back-up point of view. I’ve got a big organisation behind me.

What is your background?

We would consider a buy-out or a joint venture, to try and tap into the market. You don’t know any firms do you?

I’m an architect by profession but since joining Rocco Forte in 1980 I’ve found myself geared towards project management, working closely with interior designers and QSs. I was born in Tripoli (Libya) and speak Italian, so I like to think I bring an international flavour, which is something you’ve got to have in this business.

Over the last 10-12 years I have built up lots of contacts. I’ve also worked closely with interior designers, funders and bankers. It’s a very close-knit society in the hotel business.

Having worked for Rocco Forte, you find a lot of other people have also come up through the ranks of the company – it’s like an institution. It can be a good excuse to contact people as you have something to talk about straight away.

What are your future plans at MDA?

Standards at hotels are continually rising, especially facilities. So the biggest challenge is keeping costs under control on projects.

Refurbishment is an especially big challenge at the moment as developers want the highest standards. They tend to have the wrong perception of four or five-star hotels – so I have to bring an extra dimension to make projects work.

Globally, MDA is looking at Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, where MDA has offices, and the Middle East, where we aim to team up with a small PQS. We would consider a buy-out or a joint venture, to try and tap into the market.

You don’t know any firms do you?