The Week at the SLHTA, August 9th, 2013

Friday, August 9th, 2013   In This Edition Recognize your Employees Shopping – 97 Campaign Results Up Selling with Joseph Dubois Springboard Training Programmes LOVE Elevated Wedding Symposium WUT – School of Business 2013 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers SLHTA Exec. VP Recognized Quick Links… SLHTA Website SLTB Website Creative Industries Visitor Channel St. Lucia’s Sexy Appeal 8th Wonder of the World World Travel Awards CHTA Website CTO Website Caribbean360 CaribbeanTravel Outstanding Staff Profile   The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association has established a new initiative which is aimed at acknowledging outstanding line staff at your establishment. Human Resource is a vital tool in any establishment and it is imperative that we recognize their input in the success of your company. Therefore, the Association requests that you send in the name of someone who is deserving of such recognition. We would also need a short write up and photo on the individual(s).  The SLHTA will feature this individual in our weekly news letter which goes out every Friday. Shopping-97 Campaign Results   In a recently concluded collaborative marketing campaign between theSLHTA and Shopping-97.com a number of small properties received significant bookings to boost their bottom line.  The campaign resulted in 34,331 visits and 5980 clicks onSLHTA web page betweenMay 28th to June 16th. Vouchers sold: 71 Turnover: USD 24,283 Nights Sold: 158 nights  Shopping 97 would like to renew this campaign during the month of October 2013 and/or March 2014 in order to diversify the promotion. The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association would like to encourage members to take advantage of these opportunities being offered in order to boost revenue for their establishment. The Art of UpSelling Workshop Joseph Dubois Joseph (Joe) Du Bois is a Certified Hospitality Professional Trainer. A passionate hospitality professional himself, he has worked in a number of hotel management positions for a period surpassing thirty years some of which were General Manager of Palm Haven Hotel, General Manager of Ginger Lily Hotel, Human Resources Director of Wyndham Morgan Bay Resort, St. James’s Club St. Lucia, Guest Activities Director Wyndham Morgan Bay and Jalousie Plantation resorts to name a few. He has been very much involved in the work of the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association. Under his stewardship Palm Haven Hotel was a trend setter within the fold of the SLHTAand made significant contributions to many functions and events thereby ensuring maximum publicity for their efforts and the success of the activities. He served as a great motivator to colleagues who managed other hotels, projects and events at the SLHTA. His creativity assisted the birth of the MISS SLHTA Pageant which is still very successful today, serving to bridge the gap between the Tourism Industry, our Culture and the Creative Arts. Joe continues to exemplify character traits worthy of emulation. He is highly regarded among his peers and currently uses his influence to mobilize support for issues related to human resource management and development. A very effective trainer with astute business acumen, he has had dedicated years of experience in managing people, projects and companies. He recently completed a train the trainers workshop in development of a training manual in Marketing Techniques for Small Hotels  hosted by the Caribbean Technology Consultancy Services Network.  Mr. Du Bois has sat on the Board of Directors of the Saint Lucia Employers’ Federation for 8 years and was one of the executives who represented the Employers’ Federation in consultation with the government of Saint Lucia at the first passing of the Labour Code Saint Lucia in 2006. Joe is the Creative Director, Customer Service Trainer and HR Consultant atWillTrain.net Springboard Training and Development Center Supervisor and First-Line Management Training      The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) and Springboard Training & Development Centre collaborated to offer hospitality industry supervisors and first line managers the opportunity to obtain a Level 3 Award in Principles of Supervising Customer Service Performance in Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism. The aim of this UK accredited programme is to develop the Manager and Supervisor’s knowledge and understanding of how to build and motivate teams to promote customer service and excellence within the business.  The programme was intensive (one day a week over a 4 week period) as it was customised to include quality standards, financial awareness and leadership elements.   Well done to the participants, from a number of well know hotels, who completed the programme and who will be graduating in September.   This programme will continue to be offered to SLHTA Members and the next session will commence at the beginning of September.  Please contact Wendel George at the SLHTA (453-5978/admin@slhta.org) or Ann Marie Quail of Springboard (450-0198 or 518-5524) for further information. SAINT LUCIA TO HOST “LOVE ELEVATED”   WEDDING SYMPOSIUM Travel Agents and Wedding Planners Can Learn Why Saint Lucia is the Caribbean’s Leading Destination for Weddings    Saint Lucia launches “Simply Beautiful Pin it to Win” Contest    Saint Lucia (August 2, 2013)– From September 26 – 29, 2013, Saint Lucia will host a roster of destination wedding experts during the first annual “LOVE Elevated” Wedding Symposium. Noted speakers include renowned New York based wedding planner Sarah Pease; Denise Favorule, Executive Vice President of the XO Group; Erika Hueneke, Senior Weddings Editor of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine; Lynne Leger, Vice President of Wedding Solutions at David’s Bridal; Charles Oster, Director of Sales and Marketing for MyWedding.com, along with other on-island wedding planning specialists.   Seminar topics will range from “Marketing to Brides; Best Practices” to “Creating the Ideal Destination Wedding Experience.” The weekend also includes site visits to idyllic locales around the island, a showcase of island wedding vendors hosted at Sandals Grande and the opportunity for attendees to observe a wedding at the iconic Pigeon Island. A sunset cruise cocktail reception and picturesque boat ride to the South of the island to see the natural mud baths of the Sulphur Springs and the UNESCO World Heritage Pitons, round out weekend activities. Priced at US $150 per person, the three-day Symposium includes all seminars, social events, site inspections and transportation from select hotels. A number of the island’s top hotels, including Bay Gardens, The BodyHoliday, Calabash Cove, Rendezvous and C’est la Vie, are offering discounted rates. For hotel rates, a complete schedule and more information, visit http://stlucianow.com/loveelevated.   “The island’s natural beauty coupled with a number of world-class resorts has made Saint Lucia one of the most sought after wedding destinations in the Caribbean,” said Louis Lewis, Director of Tourism for the Saint Lucia Tourist Board. “Building on our reputation as the most romantic island, we aim to make this event an industry leader and seek to attract the best minds, talent and innovation in the destination wedding market.” “LOVE Elevated” will be led by a roster of local and international wedding experts including: Denise Favorule, Executive Vice President, XO Group Inc., the largest media and marketing enterprise for brides, home and new moms, will present on “The Destination Wedding Industry” providing an overview of the business bolstered by current statistics and trends. Sarah Pease, Owner of The Proposal Planner and Brilliant Event Planning, creates dream weddings around the world and has built a reputation with her creative ideas, eye for design and impeccable attention to detail. Sarah will present “Creating The Ideal Destination Wedding Experience.” Erika Hueneke, Senior Weddings Editor of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons; Lynne Leger, Vice President Wedding Solutions, Marketing & Operations at David’s Bridal, the nation’s leading bridal retailer; and Charles Oster, Director of Sales and Marketing forMyWedding.com, a leading wedding planning website, will comprise a panel discussing “Marketing to Brides, Best Practices.” In celebration of the first annual Wedding Symposium, on July 17 the Tourist Board launched the Saint Lucia Pinterest page in conjunction with a “Simply Beautiful Pin it to Win” sweepstakes. One lucky winner and a guest will be awarded an all-expense, four-night trip to Saint Lucia with accommodations provided by Rendezvous, the world’s first couples-only all-inclusive boutique resort in the Caribbean. For more details on the sweepstakes visit  www.facebook.com/SaintLuciaTouristBoard. For more information, contact: John Emmanuel Saint Lucia Tourist Board 758 452 4094 / 758 458 7149 johnemmanuel@stlucia.org Washington University of Technology School of Business Location: AIM-U Ave, Beausejour Road, North Entrance Contact: 1-758-450-0130    Gros Islet, St. Lucia      WUT School of Business is committed to creating young and innovative business leaders through our excellent Programmes. With our focus in Hospitality Management, WUT will breathe fresh, flourishing air in to this fast-paced Industry through education. With any 3 specialty areas-covering diverse aspects of the industry, WUT will nurture exquisite Masters of the Hospitality Industry.   WUT School of Business is offering an Executive Business program in the following areas of specialty: Travel and Tourism, Hospitality, Health Care and Marketing. The course will be a duration of 18 months with a combined certification Edexcel and WUT School of Business.   The first phase (9 Months) of the program will be a Level 7 Advanced Professional Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership (120 credits). The second phase (6 Months) will be a specialization of (45) credits in any three (3) of the following areas: 1.Cruise Management; 2. Sports Tourism; 3. Knowledge Tourism; 4. Medical Tourism; 5. Health and Wellness Tourism;  6. Bar Management; 7.Food and Beverage Management; 8. Spa Management; 9. Resort Management; 10.Studies in New Age Travel. A final dissertation (3 Months) of fifteen to twenty thousand words on the area of specialization (15 credits) will complete the requirements for a MBA (180 credits). During this period the students will be doing an internship program in the specific area of specialization which will help them in their dissertation. Our affiliation with the Washington Adventist University and the American International Medical University attest to our commitment to excellence in an Industry that accepts nothing less.   Contact: 1-758-450-0130 Email: admin@wut-edu.us  Website: www.wut-edu.us Atlantic Rally for Cruisers 2013 As part of the St. Lucia Tourist Board’s marketing initiative to promote the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) scheduled for November 24 to December 21, 2013, the SLTB would like to offer participants special hotel packages to encourage them to patronize our tourism product. In this regard, the SLTB would be grateful if you could submit two and five night hotel packages which will be promoted in the ARC 2013 brochure. A special rate for an additional night stay should also be included. To start off, this brochure will be distributed to ARC 2013 participating Yachtsmen during Saint Lucia’s presentation in Las Palmas and at the ARC office in Las Palmas. Please forward your information by Monday, August 12 to Agatha Charles via email acharles@stlucia.org. SLHTA Executive Vice President Recognized for his Outstanding Leadership Mr. Noorani Azeez was commended during anSLHTA Board of Directors meeting on Friday August 2nd 2013 for his leadership of the Association and theSLHTA Secretariat.  Mr. Azeez who is the Executive Vice President, took up the post in January 2012 and, according to the Association’s President Mrs. Karolin Troubetzkoy, has brought the Association a long way in terms of membership development and strengthening of partnerships between the Tourism industry and its many stakeholders. One of the priorities of the Exec. VP is to create opportunities for the development of human resources within the hospitality industry and over the past year he has made great strides in that regard.  He says that he is grateful for his team members at the Secretariat who continue to work tirelessly to deal with the growing number of issues, activities and events of importance to our members. Mr Azeez has had over a decade of involvement with the Hospitality Industry, particularly as a Human Resource Development Executive and has previously served  as the SLHTA’s Project Manager, SLHTA’s Finance and Administration Manager as well as the organization’s Deputy Executive Vice President.  Prior to joining the SLHTA Mr. Azeez was a training consultant, a former Training and Development Manager with Sandals Resorts International and General Manager of the National Skills Development Center Inc.