Adrian Tonna

Q: Tell us about your educational background and your work experience to date.

A:After graduating in hotel administration from ITS,I read for a degree in Tourism Management from the University of Malta. After graduating I have been working in the industry covering various positions and working my way up from Sales Executive to Director of Sales and Marketing positions in a number of hotels in both Malta and Gozo and presently I hold the position of Chief Commercial Officer for the Xara Collection.

Q: Why are you so passionate about the hospitality industry?

A:It is an industry I fell in love with at a very young age and due to the fact that my mother worked in hospitality and I used to love hearing her tell us about her day with various stories and anecdotes, with every single episode making me realise how eventful and interesting this industry is. I love the vibe, the fact that you are constantly meeting new people, constantly learning. I find great satisfaction when I see happy clients and also pride myself in being an ambassador to the Maltese islands.

Q: Mention five words to describe yourself and your work ethic.

A:Energetic, creative, focused, committed, a healthy amount of crazy.Q: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?A:In the next five years I would like to keep learning and challenging myself in order to build skills and stay out of my comfort zone. Whatever the future has in store for me,I hope I will be in a position to still mentor and nurture new talent within the industry as this is something I love doing.

Q: Tell us one of the most rewarding experiences in your profession to date.

A:My best reward has always been seeing people in my teams grow both personally and in their career, taking on new responsibilities; this always fills me with pride. In our industry, the main resource is the human resource and this means that it’s fundamental to build and nurture talent in order to ensure that our offering is unique and experiential for our guests. Just managing people is not enough. We need to help them grow and reach their potential in order to create a legacy.

Q: What growth do you anticipate for the hospitality industry in the next 20 years?

A:I believe there will be significant growth in the use of AI to improve efficiency, quicker multi-scenario budgeting, better work-life balance, greater appeal to the younger demographic and also to help this industry tackle the human resource challenges it is facing. What is fundamental though is that we make sure we maintain our personal interaction with the guests as ultimately this is what our industry is all about.