KUDOS TO SANDY LANE

Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, Rudy Grant, is thanking the five-diamond Sandy Lane Hotel for its major contribution to the development of the vital tourism industry.

Though he did not get into Sandy Lane’s revenue or the number of guests that come to stay at the breathtaking St. James-based property annually, Grant said it could not be denied that the property had made a significant contribution to the sector since it opened its door.

“Sandy Lane has been able, through your exceptional performance, to continually encourage more and more persons to come back to Barbados and encourage new persons to visit,” Grant said, while addressing the hotel’s Diamonds are Forever 2016 Awards Ceremony on Friday.

Grant, who noted that this is a very challenging time throughout the globe, indicated that he was made aware of the fact that interest rates in the United States have increased slightly. He also stated that while countries were also confronted with the uncertainty of Brexit, it was important for local tourism players to constantly think outside the box and continually ensure that they better the best, through taking advantage of the benefits of technology and working towards reaching the impossible.

“Sandy Lane Hotel continues to be a leader, Sandy Lane Hotel continues to break the glass ceiling and Sandy Lane continues to put Barbados on the map. And it is not only the management that identifies the strategies that need to be employed and engage the varying management techniques. It is you, every single member of staff who every day come to work to give of your best to this industry.

“Therefore, when I think of the challenges which we have to confront, I am comforted when I reflect on the history of Sandy Lane and the fact that this hotel has throughout the years, always been able to be at the forefront and to lead in excellence and to lead in quality and to lead in style and to provide to our visitors exceptional service,” Grant said.

The Chief Executive Officer stressed that Barbados can effectively market its tourism product, and reach potential visitors and bring them to the destination, but the reality is that the moment of truth occurs when tourist come to the island and have a taste of the visitor experience.

“Sandy Lane continues to encourage more and more persons to come back to Barbados and encourage new persons to visit,” he said.

“I reflect on the visitor experience because ... while the industry is changing, it is changing in a significant way. These days, the traditional way of doing business cannot be relied on. These days you have accommodation auctions which were not available before. But, one of the critical ways of ensuring that our visitors have an exceptionally good time relates to the interactions and the experiences which they have. Visitor experience is of critical and fundamental importance in the development of this very important industry,” Grant added.

He further stated it is important for the future of the country, that visitors leave the island thinking that Barbados is the best tourism destination in the world, based on their visitor experience.

“I urge you as you go about your daily duties, as you interact with visitors to always keep at the forefront giving of your very best. Very often, we are known to reflect in Barbados, on the high cost of labour, I make this point always. It is not about the cost of labour, it is more about the productivity of labour.
“Now, I know that every day is not the same and I know that we have our challenges, but let us keep at the forefront always that commitment and that determination to ensure that no matter what we do, how small or how large, that we do our best. This industry is changing and we have as well to change. We always must be prepared to attack, we always must be prepared to adjust, we always must be prepared to use our initiative in order to execute our functions effectively,” he said.

Grant commended the awardees for their achievements and encouraged them to continue along the path of success as they play their significant roles in the tourism sector. (AH)