Resort GM takes first steps to renovate and revive Garapan property

by Mark Rabago
Saipan Correspondent

GARAPAN, Saipan — Hyatt Regency Saipan is in experienced hands with the appointment of native Berliner Simon Graf as general manager.

Before coming to the Northern Mariana Islands, Graf already had already managed similar family-themed resorts like the Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort in China and

Nam Nghi Phu Quoc, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, in Vietnam, where he served as general manager.

Graf said those two stints uniquely prepared him to helm the first brand hotel in the NMI.

“It has made me adapt easier to Saipan,” he said, while adding that hotel resorts are marketed almost exclusively to Asian families on summer holidays and stay on the island for more than five days.

Asian tourists that come to the NMI typically value staying together and making memories with family members.

Graf expects tourists to really return in large numbers to the NMI beginning in 2024, as many of them are still busy fulfilling their long-haul desire of traveling to destinations like Europe, that were unavailable due to years of COVID-19 restrictions. 

The NMI is truly the backyard weekend escape-type destination for its main tourist markets of Japan, South Korea, and hopefully China that regard the Marianas, which includes Guam, as the Pacific’s version of the Caribbean. 

Graf said compared to the U.S. territory the NMI will always be the alternative choice of travelers from its main markets, but did say the commonwealth’s success in the tourism industry is tied to its southern neighbor, because Guam’s tourist overflow will be gladly scooped up by the NMI.

With tourist numbers not expected to rise high until next year, Hyatt and other hotels in the islands are experiencing low occupancy. Graf said this has resulted in the industry personnel situation not approximating pre-COVID-19 levels.

While waiting for the tourism industry to revive, the Hyatt is busy implementing the first phase of its renovation, which includes what Graf calls the “heartbeat of the hotel”— its power generator, reverse osmosis system, and pumps.

He said the property is still in the bidding process for the six-month project and will announce the company that will undertake the work soon.

With regards to supply issues at the food and beverage level — the NMI is still a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific. —Graf said Hyatt Executive Chef Matteo Fracalossi has experienced some issues, but has overcome them by taking advantage of what’s available and by using his team’s creativity.

Under Fracalossi and Food and Beverage director Hani Min, Hyatt currently operates five dining venues: its flagship Kili Cafe & Terrace, the Japanese restaurant Miyako, Italian restaurant Giovanni’s, the newly soft-opened DJ’s Corner, and Skipper’s Beach Bar.

As for the hotel’s day-to-day operations, Graf said he’s still in the observing stage and is also learning from the different division heads of the hotel as much as they’re learning from him. 

Graf said he was relatively less concerned when Typhoon Mawar threatened the Marianas at the end of May, as some Hyatt employees have been with the hotel for as long as 40 years and are well versed in the “Hyatt Way” of handling things.

“We have a strong local task force that can deal with any situation including typhoons. Most have spent their entire careers at Hyatt and are very well trained and experienced after going through various typhoons in the past,” he said.

Graf despite the fact that Typhoon Mawar was in the news in Asia, the island lost very few flights and quickly returned to normal operations. “Saipan was very lucky,” he said.

As for future plans, Graf wants to energize the 40-year-old hotel by reintroducing live music at the property’s beachfront, reviving its teppanyaki dinner at Giovanni’s and GM’s cocktails at the beach, as well as hosting more community, cultural, and business events at the Hyatt Ballroom.

On the weekend, an off-duty Graf can usually be seen at either the Sabalu Market, where he enjoys soaking up the island’s multi-cultural food choices; or at Banzai Cliff to listen to the waves crashing to the rock formations beneath, he said. On Sundays, he takes time to be with Hyatt’s loyal Sunday brunch customers, who despite his relatively short time on the island, have grown fond of him, he said. Graf said the feeling is mutual. mbj