Reporter Rhian Evans sits down with the new man in charge of one of the island’s premier hotels.

Considering this summer hasn’t been great weather wise, I lucked out the day I was interviewing at the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort.

The weather was glorious and the views from the breakfast suite where I was interviewing Mario Ovsenjak, the new hotel manager, were gorgeous.

Big windows looked out over rolling greens hills, golfers leisurely made their way around the course, and a family were sat having a picnic near to a duck-filled pond.

The resort in Santon has been around for a long time, but its offerings are getting a shake-up thanks to a new leadership team. At the helm is previously mentioned Mario whose mission for his first year in the role is to make a full assessment of the business and set his stall for the years to come.

‘In the first 12 months, I would be very happy if I could make solid foundations for growth and development of the products, services and make them as good as they can be.’

With a background of 30 years in the industry, I asked Mario how the Comis compared to other hotels he’s worked with.

‘I have a wide range of experiences; my last place was in the city centre in Manchester so in that respect there are some significant differences.

‘However, I’ve worked in similar properties before on the outskirts of London. So, there are always comparisons that you can draw from one type of hotel to another, but the essence of the hotel is always the same, it’s a hospitality industry and the service element of it is always going to be the same.’

Incorporating as much local food and drink into the Comis Hotel’s restaurant is high on the priority list of new developments.

‘We need to work on our menu offering in such a way that we can have sustainable supply and a good quality supply all year round from the island. That’s one of our main objectives.’

Events also play a large role in the services offered by the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort. Not afraid to mention the ‘C’ word early, Mario is already looking to the most wonderful time of the year.

‘At this time, it’s all about weddings and then we’re gearing up for Christmas, which is one of the biggest seasons for any hotel with event space such as ours, so we’re heavily focussed on that right now. We would love to be full for Christmas. We’ve also already started making preparations for TT 2025 and other big racing weekends.’

Mario speaks with a gravitas that comes with working in the hospitality industry for three decades. With all that knowledge, I asked his opinion on what he thinks the island could improve on in the sector.

‘Well, it is an island so there are geographical challenges that need to be met one way or another.

‘The ease of access, weather dependency and all of that is always going to be a challenge. I think what we need to collectively look at is the quality of the offering around the island and see if there are any opportunities that haven’t been looked into and find all-year-round activities for people to keep them interested and entertained.’

Looking at the business overall, I asked Mario how satisfied he was with the trading of the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort. He told me it hadn’t all been smooth sailing.

‘We experienced seasonal challenges in January and February; however, our owner and the senior team remain committed to have the resort fully open and accessible 365 days a year. Opening our Spa & beauty, restaurants, golf as well as accommodation provides continued employment and offers entertainment opportunities for the Manx community at times when hopping off the Island may be a bit more difficult due to adverse weather conditions.’

Looking ahead, Mario says the Comis is looking to reintroduce some services to match the boost in tourists visiting the island.

‘Moving into Spring/Summer - our trading improved year on year.

‘We are experiencing growth in accommodation, food and drinks, spa and golf revenues.

‘We will re-introduce shuttle service to Douglas/Port/Airport to meet the increased demand on accommodation, and we are recruiting some key vacancies to sustain this, which is an excellent sign for us, IoM Treasury, as well as local employment.

‘Anyone wishes to check out the latest employment opportunities at Comis may do so via careers link on  www.comishotel.com.’