THREE years after taking the helm of the Outrigger On The Lagoon resort, Peter Hopgood is proud of where the resort is moving.
"One of the things I am most proud of at the resort is that in my three years in Fiji, I have been able to increase the number of staff employed at the resort from 300 to 617," he said.
"The first seven months for 2012 have been a resounding success for Outrigger On The Lagoon Fiji. Occupancies have increased by 7 per cent on the previous year and the number of returnee guests has increased by over 20 per cent.
"This year we expect to do more than 240 weddings. As we only do one wedding per day, this is a remarkable result. This result is 15 per cent up on last year. One of the things that I am most passionate about at the resort is the quality of our restaurants and bars.
"I can confidently state that Outrigger On The Lagoon Fiji has the best food and beverage of any major resort in Fiji. Our kitchen is ably led by executive chef Shailesh Naidu and executive sous chef, Ezaz Khan. We have appointed sous chefs in all of our restaurants," Mr Hopgood said.
Since, the beginning of the year, the resort has been averaging just over 80 per cent occupancy and considering the floods in late January and early April, Mr Hopgood said this was was an outstanding result.
"More importantly we have been able to increase the average spend per guest per day by more than 15 per cent," he added.
One of the highlights of the resort has been its Bebe Spa.
"The Bebe Spa is unique in many ways. It's location on top of Lomalagi Hill overlooking the resort offers magnificent views of the Coral Coast. We offer outstanding spa products to our clients which include My Fiji and Pervonia. To top this off we have the best trained and most proficient treatment ladies that you could ever wish for," Mr Hopgood said.
Ongoing and preventative maintenance is important for big resorts such as the Outrigger On The Lagoon Fiji.
The resort has an engineering team of over 80 workers who continue to maintain the resort in a magnificent state at all times.
"In recent times we have recruited joiners, upholsterers and aircon technicians so that we can undertake most of our maintenance work in house.
"The next stage of our expansion will be the construction of a new "adults only" swimming pool. This will be completed by the end of this year at a cost of over $800,000.
"Whilst Outrigger On The Lagoon Fiji is a family resort we do get a large amount of visitors that are on their honeymoon or travelling as couples.
"It is important that we provide them with an environment that is quieter to the main swimming pool and where they can totally relax. When this new pool area opens we would expect to employ another 20 staff," Mr Hopgood said.
However, like many resorts in the country, the resort is still faced with the challenge of quality beef and lamb products.
"Most of our fruits and vegetables come from our local farmers and we also purchase our seafood from local suppliers.
"The challenge we still have is beef and lamb. In years to come we hope that suppliers for both of these products are established and provide a decent quality product to all resorts," Mr Hopgood said.