Rio Grande, Puerto Rico—January 2017—The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort is pleased to announce Mr. Ian-Robert Ciappara as General Manager. With over 20 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry, Mr. Ciappara is recognized for his results-driven leadership, possessing invaluable expertise in the global luxury marketplace coupled with a remarkable passion that he brings to his role at The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico’s first ultra-luxury resort and the island’s first AAA Five Diamond property.
Commenting on his new role Mr. Ciappara stated. “I am delighted to join the amazing team at The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, a special and beloved property offering the very best service and amenities unlike any other in Puerto Rico. I look forward to fostering and elevating the resort’s reputation with my expertise in developing unique guest experiences that will raise the benchmark for luxury travel in the Caribbean.”
Mr. Ciappara has held positions at some of the world’s finest hotels and resorts in various countries within the South American, European and central Mediterranean regions. He joins the St. Regis most recently from W Bogota, where he was General Manager and oversaw the hotel’s successful opening. As the first member of the team on the ground, he spearheaded a selection process for staff recruitment that was recognized as a Best Practice by the W brand with over 5,200 applications received for 200 vacancies. Under his leadership, W Bogota saw great success and was quickly established as the leading luxury and lifestyle hotel in the market place, resulting in the property being awarded Best New Hotel of the Year for South America 2015 by SAHIC, Best New Hotel in South America 2015 by World Travel Awards, Best in Class for Interior Design Association 2015 by IIDA and Best bar in Colombia 2015 by Premios Cocktail Colombia.
Prior to working at W Bogota, Mr. Ciappara was the General Manager at W London post opening. During his time there he introduced new food and beverage concepts, increased sales and oversaw the development of new suite categories such as the spa suites, cinema suites and the redesign of the E WOW suite, making it one of London’s most sought after suites. Additional positions held include: Complex Director of Sales and Marketing for The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort in Greece, combined they offered 766 rooms and he successfully opened 22 food and beverage outlets between the two properties; the Regional Director of Events and Marketing Projects for Italy and the central Mediterranean region, overseeing 29 properties of various brands including The St Regis Grand Hotel in Rome; and Area Director of Sales and Marketing for Costa Smerelda and Malta.
Mr. Ciappara began working at Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 1998 when he became the Director of Sales and Marketing for The Westin Dragonara Resort in Malta, the first Westin Resort to open outside the USA. His career in the hospitality industry began in 1993 when he worked for the Malta National Tourism Authority as their Overseas Director based in Milan, Italy. Mr. Ciappara was also part of the opening of the The Radisson SAS Hotel, Malta. During his career also worked as a senior consultant to various international property developers advising on areas such as architectural plans, hotel concepts, lifestyle development, yacht marinas, yacht clubs, vacation/fractional ownership and creation of food and beverage concepts in multiple European destinations.
Mr. Ciappara earned his Master of Science degree in International Tourism Marketing at the University of Surrey, England and his Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel & Catering Management from Bournemouth University. In 2010 he was awarded the President’s Award by Starwood Hotels & Resorts in recognition for the highly successful opening of The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino and The Romanos, A Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Navarino, Greece.
The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort is set on 483 pristine acres in the first and only Gold-certified Audubon Signature Sanctuary in Puerto Rico and boasts 139 luxuriously appointed guest room and suites. The resort offers St. Regis’ legendary Butler Service and features a 10,000 square foot Remède Spa and an ocean-front golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in addition to Jean-Georges’ inspired Fern. Combining Puerto Rico’s timeless natural beauty and rich colonial history, The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort’s arrival on the shores of Puerto Rico has forever changed the landscape of luxury travel in the region.
