Farewell Discovery Inn & Diya Restaurant, Dili
It was with a heavy heart that I recently made the difficult decision to close our beloved hotel Discovery Inn and Diya Restaurant, along with two of our Burger King Timor-Leste restaurants, due to the effects of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry.
When we opened Discovery Inn and Diya Restaurant in 2007, Timor-Leste was a different country to what it is today. It was still very much finding its feet as a relatively new independent nation and was on the eve in of what proved to be a tumultuous election period. Over the past 13 years, I feel that we have grown hand-in-hand with Timor-Leste and had the pleasure of hosting thousands of guests from Timor-Leste and across the world, on government, NGO, corporate, or recreational visits. I know that through the warmth of our staff, each of those guests has taken with them a new perspective of Timor-Leste and a desire to return.
It is difficult to know whom to thank first, but without our staff, we would have no guests, so I shall begin there. Neelo and I thank you from the bottom our hearts for your dedication, professionalism and passion. I know this is also a difficult and extremely sad time for you too. As José Ramos-Horta mentioned in his Facebook post, you have been the ‘heart and soul’ of our hotel and restaurant. Without you, we would never have achieved the position of being the number 1 rated hotel in Dili on Tripadvisor for so many years. A truly fantastic result. Thank you, all.
Second, I would like to thank our past customers from around the world for your support over the years and for your kind words as it has become known that the hotel and restaurant have closed. It was always my desire to create a hotel that would make people feel as though they were in a home away from home. Over the years, many of you have confirmed to our staff and to me, that we achieved this ambience. You have been the lifeblood of the hotel and it has been a pleasure hosting you.
To guests, dignitaries, friends, and family, who have dined at Diya Restaurant, thank you for helping to make us an institution in Dili. Our wait staff and chef’s creations gave many locals and visitors a dining experience to remember whether for a special event or an intimate dinner, and we hope those happy memories will stay with you.
Our Burger King Timor-Leste restaurants have also become an institution in Dili, being the first fast-food chains in the country. Although our Bidau and Airport restaurants have now closed due to COVID-19, our Colmera and Timor Plaza restaurants remain, and we look forward to continuing to serve our clients at those venues long into the future.
Finally, over the last few days, past customers, friends and staff from all walks of life and corners of the globe have poured out their sympathy and support. Your kind words highlight what we have created, and what will all miss.
However, we must look forward because COVID-19 will pass and East Timor Trading Group remains committed to Timor-Leste. So on a positive note, we are currently in advanced planning stages on a project that will create hundreds of jobs and provide investors with the necessary infrastructure to start doing more business in Timor-Leste. A formal announcement will follow.