Liz Sullivan and her local family run businesses have expanded into accommodation after purchasing the Waterfront Lodge on the waterfront at Ma’ufanga on 25 January this year from the former owners GP and Daniela Orbassano.

She told Matangi Tonga that the family company A.J & E Ltd., which includes herself, husband John and children Charles, Robert and Alex, aim to keep Waterfront as a family business.

Having been a business operator for the past 21-years running Billfish Bar and Restaurant and Davina House, which caters for conferences and meetings as well as a catering service, Liz said they decided purchase the Waterfront, a natural extension of their businesses. She said there won’t be any changes to the name because people know the name and place as Waterfront. 

"But we have brought in William Mordaz a chef from Australia, to head the kitchen and will be introducing a menu of Pacific Island and European fusion. William comes to us with more than 20-years of experience as a chef, so he will be introducing some new food concepts and also working with some local favourites. Our food will be unique to the new Waterfront look and food concept," she said today.

Liz said the Davina's convention center had been doing a lot of conferences and meetings and Waterfront is situated right next door.

"A lot of our clients have always asked us if we offered accommodation and we were lucky this came up. We were able to negotiate with the landlord for an extension of 50-years on the lease, because there was only six-years left with the former Waterfront owners. You can’t operate on a six-year lease so I was very lucky," she said.

The Waterfront is currently open for dinner but will offer lunch in March and will be introducing High Tea as a natural compliment to the Waterfront's lovely colonial look and a great garden.

"We believe Tonga is going to be a place for tourists to visit and with Tanoa Hotel (formerly Dateline Hotel) opening soon that should be good for everyone in any business because they will bring more people to Tonga."

Liz said what is more important is for everyone in the industry to work together to make sure they meet tourists’ requirements when they visit.

Liz was recently named a finalist at the 2015 Business Commonwealth Woman Entrepreneur awards, becoming the first Pacific Islander and Tongan woman to do so.

"I think this opens a door for Tongan women in business and Tonga in general," she said.