A hospitality veteran with life-long experience making guests feel welcome at hotels and resorts in Europe and Asia has been appointed to the helm of the new 30-hectare beachfront resort Alma.
Austrian-born Herbert Laubichler-Pichler has taken charge of the opening of the 196-pavilion and 384-suite resort overlooking Long Beach, on Vietnam’s Cam Ranh peninsula, with 14 food and beverage outlets and a cascade of 12 beachfront swimming pools.
Laubichler-Pichler’s work in Vietnam goes back almost 14 years and includes management of some of the country’s most acclaimed properties including Anam, that also fronts Long Beach, Ho Chi Minh City’s Reverie Saigon and Nam Hai in Danang.
His experience in Asia also includes overseeing the opening of Raffles Hainan in China, working for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, and managing GHM (General Hotel Management) properties in Malaysia.
Born into a hotelier family, Laubichler-Pichler started out in the industry working at his parents’ guesthouse in his native Austria as a bellboy at 10 years of age during the summer season. He later studied hotel management at the Hotel and Catering College Schloss Klessheim and became a certified chef before steadily rising through the ranks to become the general manager at properties in Austria, Germany and Cyprus.
Alma has unveiled an awe-inspiring host of world-class facilities, such as an eclectic range of restaurants helmed by leading chefs, a food court with an array of local and international cuisine, a classical bar, pool bar and beach bar, and mini supermarket. Other drawing cards include a science museum, art gallery, waterpark, 13-treatment room spa, cinema, convention centre, amphitheatre, youth centre with virtual reality games, kid’s club, water sports centre, gymnasium and yoga room and an 18-hole mini golf course.
“Bold, spacious and emblematic of Vietnam’s maturation as a destination, the independently owned and operated five-star resort Alma is without a doubt the most incredible project I have worked on to date,” said Laubichler-Pichler. “Together with my team of exceptionally talented and dedicated staff, we will ensure Alma establishes a reputation as one of Vietnam’s leading resorts.”
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