Patrice brings to the position more than 25 years of worldwide hospitality experience, with a career spanning the United States, Canada, Egypt, and even the Indian Ocean. He formerly worked as the General Manager at Lily Beach Resort & Spa in the Maldives. Patrice is also bilingual in French, English, and Spanish and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration in Hospitality Management from the Ecole Supérieure Internationale De Savignac in France.

Could you give us an introduction and tell us a bit about your career? How did it all start?

My name is Patrice Aira, I’m the General Manager of LUX* South Ari Atoll, Maldives. I started my career at the age of 20, working as a waiter at the Four Seasons hotels in Seattle, Washington, USA. After that, I moved back to my home country, France to achieve a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management and was recruited again by the Four Seasons Hotels. I worked with them for 18 years in various locations.

How has your experience been with LUX* South Ari Atoll and the overall LUX* Resorts and Hotels?

Being in the Maldives for the last 5 years and in LUX* South Ari Atoll for nearly 8 months, I can say that LUX* is quite different from most resorts in the Maldives. We have one of the largest islands in the Maldives about 1.8km, which offers a lot of privacy for each of our villas and the entire island is surrounded by pristine and natural beaches. Not only do we have an award-winning spa but we also have a wide range of food and beverage offerings, including 8 restaurants: that reflects different cuisines.

What makes LUX* as a brand so unique and how have you positioned yourself in the tourism industry of Maldives?

Working for LUX* as a company has been fantastic and being able to rely on a very solid corporate structure for leadership and guidance is wonderful. What makes LUX* stand out is, we strive to offer our guests a lighter and brighter experience, for them to celebrate life. It’s about making each of their moments matter, by banishing effortless patterns and creating simple, fresh, and sensory experiences. Unlike the standardized pattern in other resorts, at LUX* we achieve exemplary guest service by giving our team the freedom to engage naturally with tourists, in a genuine manner.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career especially in the Maldives?

It’s been quite a challenging year with the whole pandemic and having to adjust, retain and support our team members through that entire time, besides that the only other challenge was keeping up with the quickly changing and unpredictable weather.

What are some of the biggest takeaways in your career in the Maldives? Any proud achievements?

The one island one resort concept plays an important factor in creating a bond and sense of community amongst all of us working here, as we don’t go back home every day. This translates into pride in welcoming guests to their second home and not simply just to a workplace. Guests are highly sensitive and welcome this genuine hospitality, which is reflected on social media portals various times, as a result, we are ranked as one of the top resorts in the Maldives.

What is your advice to the younger generations looking to join the tourism industry?

My advice to the younger generation would be: Be passionate about what you do, always strive to make things better- whether it is for the guests or your team members, and remember you are only as good as your team!

To book your stay at LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas, please head to www.luxsouthariatoll.com for booking requests or email your queries at: [email protected]