New leadership to modernise the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort

Considering this summer has been wetter than a Sea otter’s pocket, 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 (impeccably dressed) Hotel Manager, were gorgeous. Big windows looked out over rolling greens hills, golfers leisurely made their way around the course, and a family was sat having a picnic near to a duck-filled pond.

But the views aren’t the only good thing about the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort, the business is partnering with Gef’s 30 Under 30 Leadership Category this year.

‘It’s very important to support leadership function as a whole because we see the Comis Hotel being one of the leaders in the industry on the island so we thought it would be a good fit for us’, Mario tells me with the confidence of a man who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years. ‘Receiving recognition for your efforts at an early stage is very important because it gives encouragement to young talent which helps them continue their development.’

With Gef’s 30 Under 30 being created with the island’s future in mind, Mario and I got to talking about what part the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort plays in that.

‘We’re in a unique position on the island when you think about the facilities it offers; accommodation, food and drink, event spaces, golf, and spa all tied in one big offering. And in that respect, we consider ourselves to be in one of the leading positions on the island in order to drive the tourism and visitor economy.’

No mention of flying golf buggies, which was slightly disappointing. But looking ahead, Mario also told me the Comis restaurant menu is going to get a glow up and include a lot more local food and drink, which is great for Manx vendors. Speaking of local consumable delicacies, the Gef 30 Under 30 Winner’s Party was full of them. Mario knows, he was there.

‘The event was fantastic.’ Oh shucks, Mario. Go on, be specific, what was fantastic? ‘The venue was absolutely perfect. It was very vibrant, lots of people around, well attended, well organised, and some very worthy winners of course. I personally chatted to the Leadership Winners and I’m still in touch with a couple of them. In fact, we’re hoping to put a project together with one of the winners. Watch this space.’

Hopefully whatever they’re working on involves a flying golf buggy. In terms of the campaign, there are fewer things more satisfying than seeing category partners end up working with their category winners. Mission accomplished. Gef’s 30 Under 30 campaign isn’t over though. NOT BY A LONG SHOT. We’ll be hosting a lot more networking events throughout the year with winners and category partners. So, in the words of Mario, watch this space.

Looking at the business overall, Mario tells me things haven’t been smooth sailing, which makes sense with the state of the weather.

‘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.’

With the Isle of Man’s popularity status in the world improving, meaning more people are coming over for things other than the TT and the Laxey Wheel, Mario says the Comis is going to reintroduce services to match the boost in tourists so their travel is as easy as possible. Very thoughtful if you ask me.

‘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, the IoM Treasury, as well as local employment. Anyone who wishes to check out the latest employment opportunities at the Comis may do so via our careers link on  www.comishotel.com.’