Maui Palms directors Christine Badia and husband Wayne Lawrence are investing $2.8 million upgrading their resort – and providing building jobs for their staff.
Everyone from chefs to gardeners are being trained and employed in the project.
It is adding rooms, a tennis court and another swimming pool to the Maui Bay, Coral Coast, property.
It is also providing a full weekly wage for Maui Palms staff despite the collapse of tourism in the COVID-19 pandemic.
30 Plus staff benefit
Ms Badia said: “We could not just sit back and do nothing while our loyal resort staff would be at home in their villages struggling to provide food and general day to day provisions for their extended families relying on their incomes on the Coral Coast.”
Instead, the couple decided to work on other ways to keep their resort staff employed.
“So, given we had the financial means during this difficult time we decided to take proactive action that would further our already multi-million-dollar investments in Fiji,” she said.
“Most importantly make a regular difference in over 30 staff members lives on a weekly basis including our former key post hotel staff.”
Ms Badia said knowing the uncertainty of how long the pandemic could keep borders closed they could not sit back. They could not leave loyal employees struggling to survive.
“With much encouragement our former hotel staff showed a true capacity to handle constructing work,” she said.
“This includes our chefs, gardeners, activities staff who are now all employed full-time and given ongoing job guidance and training at each construction stage.”
Ms Badia also owns a construction company called Trex Decking Fiji.
“Funnily enough they have become some of our best and most reliable workers on site on the building site than our other company’s Trex Decking team,” she said.
Adding To A Dream
Maui Palms, a dream project that started with just four beachfront bures in 2010, is now expected to have an addition of nine more rooms.
This brings the total to seven beach front villas and nine new rooms.
They plan to finish the project mid this year.
They are also expected to complete another swimming pool and a top class tennis court she says can serve the same as the Australian Open.
That’s something of extra pleasure to Ms Badia, a former top ranked Australian junior tennis player.
That and finding this innovative way to keep their Maui Palms staff fully employed.
Feedback: susana.tuilau@fijisun.com.fj