Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1004621
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 JULY 2018 NEWS PAUL COCKS PACEVILLE'S 'hospitality king' and entertainment mo- gul Hugo Chetcuti was run- ning a business empire which had at least €72 million in as- sets at the time of his untimely death. Data provided by CreditInfo shows that Chetcuti wholly or partially owned numer- ous companies that held his assets in Paceville, with the top 12 most active companies alone registering total assets estimated at over €72 million. Their total net worth topped €18.5 million. Once a club-owner who ap- peared to shun the media spotlight, in the last decade Chetcuti's empire grew expo- nentially as the 52-year-old became the undisputed own- er of a strip of Paceville real estate, branding it with the unmistakable 'H' that accom- panied most of his entertain- ment concepts. To his loyal staff and admir- ers of his business acumen, Thursday, 12 July 2018 was a sombre day after Chetcuti succumbed to complications following surgery after being stabbed in Paceville six days earlier. His clubs, food out- lets and other entertainment venues in Paceville went silent on Thursday night as the mu- sic was turned off when news of Chetcuti's death was con- firmed. Chetcuti was stabbed three times in the stomach by a former employee, Serb na- tional Bojan Cmelik. CCTV footage seen by police shows Cmelik had been lying in wait for Chetcuti to emerge from Hugo's Seafood and Cock- tails, where he had been test- ing out menu items. Cmelik approached Chetcuti as he stepped out, and then stabbed him three times. The man was later arrested in Sliema. Chetcuti opened his first venue in Paceville – Footloose – in the early 1980s. He then went on to build a veritable empire of pubs, restaurants and entertainment places, in- cluding gentlemen's clubs and two hotels, in Paceville – all part of the 'Hugo's' brand that he personally cultivated and promoted. Over the last decade, Chet- cuti's appetite for property ac- quisition grew, as did his pro- file on social media. Chetcuti regularly flaunted his wealth on Facebook and Instagram, whether on holiday aboard his luxury motoryacht, show- casing his Rolls Royce during a London visit to collect it, or enjoying time with his grand- son in Colombia. He also flexed his philanthropic mus- cle – comments on Facebook attested to the man's gener- osity, often never publicised, although recent visits to an orphanage and the Dar Bjorn ALS hospice were given wide publicity. The brand included popu- lar hot spots Havana, Hugo's Lounge, Hugo's Pub, Shadow Lounge, Rocco Club Lounge, Bacco by Hugo's, Club H, So- ho Lounge, Native Bar & Din- er, Hugo's Passion and Hugo's Terrace. In May, the group is- sued a €5 million bond, meant to finance further property acquisitions, among them his €55 million boutique hotel project, which took centre- stage at the top of the Saint Rita Steps. A statement published by the Chetcuti family described the entrepreneur as "larger than life, a man who captivated us all with his generosity, com- passion, wit, and profound awareness and sympathy for those less fortunate. The local entertainment and hospitality industry has lost its favourite son, but will continue to reap the benefits of his foresight and determination for decades to come." The Hugo's group of compa- nies will carry on with opera- tions as normal, with business now falling on son Luke, who will have to step in his father's shoes and fully immerse him- self in the day-to-day running of the businesses. La dolce vita Chetcuti's death resulted in an outpouring of grief with friends and admirers leaving flowers and candles outside his establishments. Christian Spiteri, the archi- tect who spearheaded all of Chetcuti's projects in the past 20 years, told MaltaToday that he owed everything to Chetcu- ti, having given him his lucky break when fresh out of uni- versity, entrusted him with the building of his extraordinary Villa Isis in Madliena. "Since then, I've spent nearly every day with Hugo, working on one project after another," he said. "Because Hugo was a dreamer and a visionary, and the evidence is in what he managed to achieve." Spiteri lashed out at sections of the press that had accused Hugo of criminal activity, a notoriety acquired over his Paceville dominance. "They have no idea who they're talking about and what sort of man Hugo was," he said. "If only they knew him as I, and many others did, they would recognise the kind, gentle and generous man that made everyone who knew him love Hugo." Chetcuti of course loved the better things in life, including cars and good food. "He loved 'la dolce vita' but he was also comfortable in humble sur- roundings and circumstances and, in fact, he surrounded himself with humble people and never sought the company of so-called VIPs for the sake of fame," Spiteri said. Spiteri described the 'Hugo's' brand as seal of quality and at- tention to detail – Chetcuti's mantra – and not just a way of cashing in on his fame. "Hugo had big, huge plans for Pace- ville and he had been work- ing on this vision to make it a global attraction. Having al- ready changed the face of en- tertainment in Malta, he was working on making it even better. Hugo had so many oth- er projects in the pipeline and I hope that they will still see the light of day, because they would change Paceville as we Bar Native Barcode Sapphire X-clusive Diamond Dolls Michelangelo Hugo's Pub Hugo's Burger Bar HSixty6 Sciacca Angel's Gentlemen's Lounge Fuego Casa Latina Hugo's Terrace by Chetcuti leaves behind a multi- million empire Flowers for the 'king' outside one of Chetcuti's Paceville outlets. Below, the interior of his Villa Isis, once valued at over €8 million Chetcuti with son Luke