John Johnston, President of Raffles Hotels & Resorts, announced the appointment of well-known hotelier, Simon Hirst, as General Manager of Raffles Praslin Seychelles, effective February 27, 2012. Simon brings to Raffles Praslin Seychelles hotel, extensive experience in luxury hotels and resorts. He began his career with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, holding management positions with the group’s hotels in Hong Kong and San Francisco over 11 years.
In 1988, he joined Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts as Resident Manager of the Four Seasons, Park Lane, London. He returned to Asia in 1991 as Hotel Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, re-joining Four Seasons in 1994 as General Manager of The Regent Chiang Mai (a Four Seasons hotel) opening Chiang Mai’s first luxury resort.
In 1997, Simon was appointed General Manager of One Aldwych, London, and successfully opened the hotel with visionary hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray, with whom he has been working since. In 2008, he became Operations Director of CampbellGray Hotels, where he oversaw the hotel collection, including Carlisle Bay, Antigua - Dukes Hotel, London, and the recently-opened Le Gray in Beirut. He was also responsible for the operations planning of new hotel projects.
Raffles Praslin Seychelles opened in February 2011, set on 30 acres on the northern tip of Praslin Island, with 86 spacious villas each with 24-hour butler service, private plunge pools, and mesmerizing views across the Indian Ocean. This Seychelles luxury resort is home to the first signature Raffles Spa, which embraces the philosophy of transformation.