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| Have You Voted Yet??!!
A gentle reminder to all colleagues and industry partners, that voting for the World Travel Awards, Caribbean and Saint Lucia categories will be closing in August!!
So VOTE now and VOTE Helene of the West – Saint Lucia (or any deserving nominee)
Click here to view the various Nominations.
Click here to register to VOTE:
Still reading – Go and VOTE NOW!! |
| Hotel Development
In December 2011, Elite Island Resorts, a leading Caribbean hotel group, acquired the former Almond Morgan Bay St. Lucia, now renamedMorgan Bay Beach Resort. The all-inclusive, beachfront resort features 345 guestrooms and suites, offering stunning ocean and tropical garden views. The resort additionally features four freshwater pools, four restaurants and five bars, a fitness center and a full-service spa, which is being expanded in late 2012.
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| Top Ten Best View in the World
The Management and staff of La Haut Plantation are super thrilled to receive the July award as one of the Top 10 B&Bs with a View Around the World. This award was given by Bed and Breakfast.com (the bed and breakfast arm of Expedia.com) to the 10 B&Bs with the Best Views! An exclusive story about the winners was published by Smartertravel.com.
“The fresh water pool at La Haut Plantation (as above) has one of the best views on Saint Lucia – and in the entire Caribbean, for that matter. Swim and stare at the Pitons’ peaks while hummingbirds and butterflies hover nearby,” is the picturesque description given to La Haut from Smarter Travel the facilitator of the “Top 10 B&Bs with a View Around the World”.
La Haut is situated on a mountain off the west coast road from Castries to Soufriere, 1 ½ miles before the town of Soufriere. In existence for about 15 years, this 15 room bed and breakfast is owned by Joe and Stephanie Allain. La Haut employs over 30 persons from the surrounding area and all employees are from St Lucia. For an authentic experience of Saint Lucia country life, a visit to La Haut is a must. Their friendly, helpful and competent staff will look after all your needs.
La Haut is also a participating property in Staycation and Summerlicious, with Double Occupancy Stay starting at US$80.00 and lunch starting at EC$50.00. Call them for more information at 459-7008.
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7 Addy Award to Accela Marketing
Saint Lucia’s very own Accela Marketing has received seven awards including the coveted, “Best of Show” category at the 2012 Caribbean Advertising Federation (CAF) ADDY Awards. What is considered the Oscars of the Advertising World, the ADDY Awards are hosted by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), and are the advertising industry’s most comprehensive and prestigious competition recognizing and rewarding creative excellence in the art of advertising.
Among Accela’s wins were two GOLD ADDYs for the SLASPA’s ‘Behind the Everyday Benefits of Life’ Corporate Campaign and the FDL Pest Control Solutions Radio Advert. The Agency also won four SILVER ADDYs for the ECFH 2012 Calendar, the ECFH 2010 Annual Report, and the Accela Website and Facebook Page. The FDL Pest Control Solutions radio advert also won the highly valued Best of Show award. Out of all the radio adverts submitted it was considered the best of the best.
Accela, a first-time entrant and winner of five awards in 2011, is one of the smallest agencies operating out of one of the smallest markets in the Caribbean. This year, over 420 entries were judged from over 30 different companies in the region including Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The Agency held its own against some of the biggest multi-national creative agencies like McCann, Red Advertising & Marketing Ltd and Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi.
“We are ecstatic to bring home seven awards this year, especially the award for best radio advert in the Caribbean,” stated Accela’s Managing Director, Agnes Francis. “This is a huge accomplishment and a strong testimony of the world-class products that our talented creative team produces for our clients. Big ideas that bring big results do not need big budgets, big markets or big agencies, just big thinking and attention to small details.”
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Hon. Lorne Theophilus
 Recently, Caribbean Journal conducted an interview with Hon. Lorne Theophilus, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and the Creative Industries.Hon. Theophilus explained that over the years St. Lucia’s tourism industry is a continually growing entity. St. Lucia is known primarily as a destination for romance and honeymoons, but the new Minister is looking into enhancing and developing the product and also be established as a destination for health and wellness. According to him, product is what sells, what drives this engine that we call tourism – so we want to establish a product that is of a very high standard, and includes standards for the industry as well.Hence keeping it at its present level with a high reputation and moving it further and will regenerate itself.
As discussion of entering into the Latin American market continues, Hon. Theophilus shared some insight on discussions dealing with airlift and cost. He also optimistically expressed the possibility of a blossoming market coming out of Latin America in the next few years, unlike Asia which posses to be a lot more problematic because of time and the proximity of getting to our destination. The Minister says he is seriously looking into the development of such a relationship, especially from an investment standpoint.
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) is a growing market and beneficial to many of our destination marketers and travel agents. Coming out of the recently concluded budget, Hon. Theophilus indicated that this market was mentioned and government plans on actively pursuing this new global trend for the benefit of our destination.
In conclusion, Hon. Theophilus emphasized on the diverse culture of Saint Lucia. A culture which includes our people, scenery and now internationally awarded cuisine, one that is best known for romance, which has made Saint Lucia a marquee destination.
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Welcome to Saint Lucia – Lyle Pauls
 Lyle Pauls is pleased to join The Landings St. Lucia and brings with him his expertise from running other Luxury Hotels in the Caribbean, Canada and the United States.After graduating in Culinary Arts and his start as a Sous Chef at the Banff Springs Hotel in Canada, Lyle moved to the Rooms Division and graduated in Hotel & Restaurant Administration. He left the kitchen to manage Front Office operations in two Westin Hotels in Winnipeg and Ottawa before accepting Hotel Manager of the 1,100 room Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans. Lyle then accepted GM positions in W and Westin hotels in both Chicago and Manhattan.
Lyle’s Starwood expertise includes being named “Hotelier of the Year”‘ winning “Highest Year over Year GOP Improvement” and winning “Best Sales Team” for North America. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt and was deployed numerous times to head up service and defect challenges in many Starwood hotels.
His opening experience includes the Westin Providence, the W New Orleans. His development and condo expertise was gained in designing and opening The Carlton Savannah in Trinidad, where he also hosted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the II during the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. Lyle’s most recent assignment was a turnaround property, Coco Reef Bermuda, where RevPAR improvements of over 30% brought it to record performance.
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Outstanding Staff Profile –
Ashley Chung
 Ashley Chung started his journey at the age of 22, with Sandals Resorts International when the Company opened Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort in 2002. He was employed as a Beach Attendant. Before long, he participated in Life Guard courses and became a Certified Life Guard. He got extensive exposure driving the ski boats at the resort, and because of this love for working not just on the beach but in the water, he obtained a Boat Captain License from SLASPA.Ashley was the recipient of Most Courteous – Team Member of the Month for February 2006. In 2010 he was recognized as the Team Member who was the Most Promising/Most Improved for the Month of January 2010. In 2011 Ashley Chung was recognized as the Resort’s Team Member for the month July 2011 and again in December of 2011 he was the Team Member of the Month for December and also the recipient of the General Manager’s award.
He is now a senior Boat Captain at Sandals Grande St. Lucian. Ashley continues to enjoy his years at Sandals and is very dedicated to his job. He is a true team player and can be depended on to assist in any area, at any time that he is called on. Ashley recently was awarded the Ultimate Team Member Award at Sandals Grande for 2011 at the Prestige Awards recognizing outstanding employees and was awarded for hisOutstanding Service, from Sandals Grande at the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association’s President’s Gala Ball.
Ashley is described as a competent, diligent and helpful individual. Guests have been blown away with his enthusiasm, charm and level of professionalism displayed. His service has also been described as impeccable and memorable.
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Recently, Caribbean Journal conducted an interview with Hon. Lorne Theophilus, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and the Creative Industries.Hon. Theophilus explained that over the years St. Lucia’s tourism industry is a continually growing entity. St. Lucia is known primarily as a destination for romance and honeymoons, but the new Minister is looking into enhancing and developing the product and also be established as a destination for health and wellness. According to him, product is what sells, what drives this engine that we call tourism – so we want to establish a product that is of a very high standard, and includes standards for the industry as well.Hence keeping it at its present level with a high reputation and moving it further and will regenerate itself.
Lyle Pauls is pleased to join The Landings St. Lucia and brings with him his expertise from running other Luxury Hotels in the Caribbean, Canada and the United States.After graduating in Culinary Arts and his start as a Sous Chef at the Banff Springs Hotel in Canada, Lyle moved to the Rooms Division and graduated in Hotel & Restaurant Administration. He left the kitchen to manage Front Office operations in two Westin Hotels in Winnipeg and Ottawa before accepting Hotel Manager of the 1,100 room Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans. Lyle then accepted GM positions in W and Westin hotels in both Chicago and Manhattan.
Ashley Chung started his journey at the age of 22, with Sandals Resorts International when the Company opened Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort in 2002. He was employed as a Beach Attendant. Before long, he participated in Life Guard courses and became a Certified Life Guard. He got extensive exposure driving the ski boats at the resort, and because of this love for working not just on the beach but in the water, he obtained a Boat Captain License from SLASPA.Ashley was the recipient of Most Courteous – Team Member of the Month for February 2006. In 2010 he was recognized as the Team Member who was the Most Promising/Most Improved for the Month of January 2010. In 2011 Ashley Chung was recognized as the Resort’s Team Member for the month July 2011 and again in December of 2011 he was the Team Member of the Month for December and also the recipient of the General Manager’s award.
