CHI Hotels and Resorts Launches 'Corinthia Sommelier' Signature Programme
09 November 2009
True to its pioneering spirit across 47 years, Malta based CHI Hotels & Resorts (CHI), exclusive operator of the Corinthia Hotels brand Worldwide and of the Wyndham and Ramada Plaza brands in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), has teamed up with one of France’s ‘Grande Marques de Champagne’, Taittinger to launch its ground breaking ‘Corinthia Sommelier’ signature programme.
Devised by the company’s Products and Services division, led by Shawn Pisani, the Corinthia Sommelier programme is aimed primarily at enhancing our guests’ experience. A combination of quality products and services, the programme also provides motivational and educational tools to all CHI Hotels and Resorts’ beverage handling staff.
“Very often the small details make the biggest difference”, said CHI’s director of products and services Shawn Pisani “The Corinthia Sommelier is all about going back to basics. Wines and champagnes are an integral part of the quality food and beverage concept within our hotels. When the right wine is chosen for the right occasion, a good meal is turned into a memorable dining experience. Corinthia Sommelier focuses on ensuring our food and beverage teams have the right tools and knowledge, enabling them to develop through personal ambition, thus ensuring that our customers receive the best service and advice at all times. We are aiming high with this development programme, and a clear endorsement of this is our close collaboration with Taittinger, who are one of the world’s top champagne producers and who have committed their vast resources and expertise to the success of our concept. Their years of experience, knowledge, ground-breaking innovation and passion add precious value to ‘Corinthia Sommelier’. Indeed, we are honoured to have them on board” concluded Pisani.
For Corinthia Sommelier, a combination of training modules, incentives and competitions have been devised to offer CHI food & beverage teams unsurpassed opportunities for development. These include tuition from the very basic to the most advanced certifications achievable in the beverage industry, participation in international trade competitions, including the annual Corinthia Sommelier Competition, which will see top sommeliers from around the globe vie for the prestigious title of ‘Sommelier of the Year’, and travel to renowned wine regions for first hand experience of wine-making processes from vine-growing to the fermentation and bottling of wines and champagnes.
Welcoming his company’s association with CHI, Mr. Clovis Taittinger said "Champagne Taittinger is very pleased and proud to share its knowledge and experience of fine wines with the Corinthia Hotels & Resorts innovative and ambitious Corinthia Sommelier Programme. This long term partnership will lead to a stronger understanding of wines and hopefully allow both the sommeliers and customers to discover and appreciate the essence, the spirit and the history of fine wines and the regions they come from. We are more than convinced that this programme will be a success for many years to come."
About CHI Hotels & Resorts
Based in Malta, CHI Hotels & Resorts (CHI) is a leading hands-on hotel management company that provides the full range of technical assistance and management services to hotel owners worldwide. CHI is the exclusive operator and developer for the luxury Corinthia Hotels brand as well as the Wyndham and Ramada Plaza brands in Europe, Africa and The Middle East. CHI draws on a heritage of over 45 years in delivering high quality services to hotel guests and an optimum rate of return to owners and investors in diverse business environments. Our experience across our three brands extends to management of luxury and upscale properties in city and resort locations and products ranging from boutique to conference and Spa hotels. CHI Hotels & Resorts is a joint venture between International Hotel Investments plc (IHI) – 70% and The Wyndham Hotel Group (WHG) – 30%.
About Taittinger Champagne
Founded in 1734, the Taittinger Champagne house is based in Reims. The Taittinger family is a French wine family who are famous producers of champagne. Headed by Claude Taittinger (born 1927), a member of the consultative committee of the Banque de France, the Taittinger Group is ranked in the top 250 businesses in France. Its diversified holdings included Champagne Taittinger, Societe du Louvre and Concorde Hotels, whose flagship is the famed Hotel de Crillon on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France as well as the Loire Valley wine producing firm of Bouvet-Ladubay.