Charles Mc Guinness has joined the Bora Bora Cruises sales and marketing team and will report directly to Dominique Brogi, Marketing Director.

As of June 1st, 2008 all Ti’ Moana rates will be quoted in euros. Until now, Bora Bora Cruises has been quoting its rates in U.S. dollars, but the weak value of the dollar has led Bora Bora Cruises to move all pricing to one worldwide currency for the best interest of the company.

To prevent harming the U.S. market, Bora Bora Cruises will not increase its rates until 2010. Existing reservations need to be paid by June 1st, 2008 in order not to be affected by the exchange rate. All reservations paid before the 120-day timeline will be subject to a 10% discount.

Effective immediately the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa will operate on a new shuttle boat schedule for the hotel- Vaitape- hotel route.

Please visit Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa for more information and times.

Scheduled to open on September 1st 2008, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora will offer 121 luxurious rooms and suites, including 100 over-water bungalows and seven beachfront villas, ranging from their sumptuous beach view over-water bungalows to the Otemanu luxury beachfront villa with private pool.

All rooms will highlight an authentic mixture of traditional Polynesian décor and contemporary amenities. Each room and suite will feature direct dial, multi-line telephones with voicemail, Wifi and high-speed Internet access, on-demand movies and games and plasma televisions.

Clientele will experience the world renown Four Seasons service as well as an outdoor pool, four lagoon-view restaurants and bars including the beautiful open-air “Tere Nui,” a Polynesian-inspired spa featuring nine exceptional treatment suites, a fully-equipped fitness center. Kids amenities include a separate island for teens and a “Kids For All Seasons” area with its own pool and a wide range of recreational activities.

Guests can also enjoy the resort’s white-sand beaches and private lagoons as well Matira Beach named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and located only minutes away from the resort.

Visit www.fourseasons.com for more information.

Haumana Cruises welcomes Christa Dekker as the new U.S. representative, effective immediately.

Christa Dekker oversees promotion of the Haumana in the U.S. market and is the main contact for any information or specific enquiries. 

For more information on Christa Dekker, please contact her at christa@haumana-usa.com.

Please join us in welcoming Christa Dekker to the Haumana Team!

Frederick Kulczak has been appointed as the new executive chef of Le Méridien Bora Bora.

Born and raised in France, Kulczak brings a wide-range of hospitality experience to Le Méridien Bora Bora. Most recently, Frederick worked for two years as executive chef at Hotel Sainte Anne Resort & Spa on Victoria Mahé in the Seychelles.

Over the course of his career, Kulczak has contributed to the success of many top-rated restaurants including the French Kitchen Restaurant & Bar at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo where he worked with Alain Ducasse and Mr. Robuchon; La Lorraine in Luxemburg; Le Café de Paris in St Tropez: Le Grand Café in Kiev, Ukraine; and at Le Chateau de Lignan, a one-star Michelin hotel and restaurant in Béziers, France.

Kulczak is a native of Burgundy, France and earned his diploma from the Sacred Heart Culinary School in 1985.

Please join us in welcoming Frederick Kulczak to Le Méridien team.

Art Classes

In an effort to demonstrate the hotel’s passion for supporting local and international culture, Le Méridien recently launched L’Atelier, which offers guests the privilege to interact with creative personalities behind works of art.

The new onsite artists’ space features contemporary artists from the islands and around the world including Marc Rambeau, Gérald Gaillard, Jean Achille and Gabrielle Jones.

Along with opportunities to learn about contemporary works of art including paintings, photography, sculpture, music and dance, the guests can also learn techniques and create their own works of art.

Cooking Classes

L’Atelier du Chef program marks Le Méridien’s tenth anniversary with a celebration of food, creativity and the allure of French Polynesia with a new cooking class program.

Le Méridien is the first hotel in Tahiti to offer cooking classes. The classes offer hands-on instruction in culinary techniques including pastry and traditional Polynesian entrees. Small intimate classes, with a maximum of five students, provide for a personalized one-on-one experience ideal for any skill level.

The classes showcase various cooking techniques used by new Executive Chef Sebastien Philizot at the renowned resort restaurant, Le Carré. Philizot, a 28- year old chef, comes directly from the InterContinental in Malta and replaces Michel Dujas, who has gone to Morrison’s Café in Tahiti.

Chef Philizot recreated the resort’s eatery as a gourmet lounge-restaurant with menu choices ranging from duck carpaccio to island sushi and Mahi Mahi with fresh coconut. The exclusive culinary workshop is ideal for honeymooners who wish to discover the distinct taste of Polynesian cuisine.

As a follow up to our special coverage of the Manava Suite Resort Tahiti in our previous issue (click here to access past article), a blog is now available for additional information on the new property that is scheduled to open in January 2009.

For more information about the Manava Suite Resort Tahiti http://manavasuiteresorttahiti.blogspot.com/

World-renowned Hotel Bora Bora in French Polynesia, which first opened in 1961, will close this October for a complete reconstruction and re-launch in time for its 50th anniversary.

Located on the southern tip of the island of Bora Bora, the resort offers a 270- degree view encompassing the islands of Taha’a and Raiatea to the west, the island of Maupiti to the east, the unique islet of Motu Toopua in the foreground, and the barrier reef in the distance.

The chimney peaks of Mount Otemanu and Pahia provide scenic backdrops to the resort’s three pristine beaches The hotel plans on relocating guests, who booked rooms after October 2008, to other hotels on the island.

TTNA will keep you informed as we get additional information from Amanresorts.

South Pacific Management, which manages Pearl Resorts & Spa, Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa and Manea Spa, is pleased to announce a series of appointments throughout the resort portfolio.

Sylvain Delanchy was appointed as the General Manager at the Te Tiare Beach Resort in Huahine and replaces Wayne Sterling who is returning to his native island of Hawaii. Sylvain Delanchy brings many years of management performance and an impressive background to the Te Tiare. Prior to joining the Te Tiare Beach Resort, Sylvain was the general manager at the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort. 

Nelly Grange will be assisting Sylvain Delanchy as the new executive assistant manager. Nelly is well known to everyone within the industry as she comes to the Te Tiare from the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa where she was the duty manager.

Henri Valin, who comes from the Maldives, was appointed new general manager at the Manihi Pearl Beach Resort. Valin’s wealth of experience includes his most recent position as general manager at the Nuku Hiva Keikahanui Pearl Lodge.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Mr. Delanchy, Ms. Grange, and Mr Valin.

After a review that started more than a year ago with 36 agencies, Tahiti Tourisme North America has selected The Phelps Group to continue on as its marketing agency of record.

The assignment required an integrated campaign approach, with advertising, public relations and interactive as key components. Clark and Liz Wilson, of Livingston Wilson Associates, steered the review.

Over the course of the review, the agencies were pared down in three stages, with the final three presenting on May 15th. The Phelps Group was notified the next day that they had retained the business.

Two of the big challenges all participants in the review faced were how to effectively work with the clients 20-plus independent tour operator partners, in which co-op advertising is a key component of the relationship and business partnership.

TTNA looks forward to continuing great work with The Phelps Group.