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Summer in St. Lucia
Traveling to Saint Lucia will be no sweat this summer with increased air service and unbeatable island-wide hotel and resort promotions offering cool value-added ways to kick-off summer fun, including free-nights and discounts of up to 40% off room rates.
Anse Chastanet -Soufrière
“Sweet Summer 2013”
Stay four nights and enjoy the fourth night free. Stay seven and enjoy both the fourth and seventh night free in selected categories on basis of the daily rate. Breakfast and dinner can be added for $160 per couple, per day. Free nights will have same meal plan free of charge. All-inclusive meals and drinks package can be added to room rate at $310 per couple daily. Travel between July 15 through October 31, 2013. Rates begin at $345 for Standard room accommodations. Rates are subject to eight percent tax and 10 percent service fee. For more information, visit Anse Chastanet
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SLHTA’s Marketing and Product Development Committee Meeting
The SLHTA convened a meeting of its Marketing and Product Development Committee on Tuesday 21st May 2013 to discuss a number of challenges and concerns raised by members. The meeting was attended by representatives from Windjammer, Cap Maison, Jade Mountain, Smugglers, Coco Resorts and St. James Morgan Bay.
The discussions and recommendations centered around airlift, destination marketing efforts, information sharing among properties, operation of the proposed SLHTA marketing fund and review of impact of St. Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival 2013 on accommodation sub-sector, occupancy forecast for summer 2013, and concerns about the SLTB’s marketing efforts.
The meeting commenced at 2:30 p.m. and concluded at approximately 4:45 p.m.
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Summerlicious 2013
The SLHTA invites your indication of interest in participating in Summerlicious 2013. As with previous years, the summer programme, which will run from 1st July – 30 Sept 2013 will complement Staycation 2013 and will feature discounts on prix fixe menus in addition to spa services and hotel rates. This year we expect SLTB’s support for the programme and plan to keep aspects of it which worked well last year. Some of these are: Summerlicious ads on radio stations, Visitor Channel video promotion, Discounts on print material, Social media blitz, alert etc
Please feel free to recommend aspects which you would like see incorporated in Summerlicious 2013 as well as provide us with an indication of your interest to participate.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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SLHTA’s Board of Directors Meeting
On Tuesday, May 21, 2013, the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association held a Board of Director’s meeting at the SLHTASecretariat in the Eileen Paul Board Room. The below was the Agenda charted for the meeting:
1. Call to Order and Welcome Remarks- President
2. Presentation of Auditor’s Report – Mr. Richard Surage – PKF
3. Adoption of audited statements
4. Minutes of Previous Meeting
5. Matters Arising from Minutes
6. AGM – Theme and guest speaker
7. Updates from Committee Chairpersons/ Board members
8. Any Other Business – Saint Lucia Budget Statement, SLHTA Marketing Fund.
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Sacred Sports Foundation, Request for Accommodation
Sacred Sports Foundation (SSF) the Saint Lucia based non profit organization has been appointed the partner of winners of the prestigious “Virgin Responsible Tourism Awards, Best Volunteer Organisation, Travel People and Places – UK “.
Well known for their ethical, responsible, sustainable volunteer travel programmes, Travel People and Places matches skills to the right projects and will look to send upwards of 15-25 skilled retirees for 4 weeks to Saint Lucia at differing times each year. Social programmes identified include work with CARE and the National Trust.
Saint Lucia remains the only Caribbean Island where Travel People and Places actively promote social programmes within their network. The programme is set to commence late August/ September. Volunteers will pay all their living/expenses. SSF is seeking accommodation across Saint Lucia ideally host homes or B&B’s for the individual volunteers.
For more details please contact: Nova Alexander – Sacred Sports Foundation Office: 450-0673.
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Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival
Scored Highly in its Inaugural Year
With the integration of Saint Lucia’s artistic product into what was formerly Saint Lucia Jazz, the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) has deemed the staging of the rebranded Festival a success which generally met its objectives; but in some instances also exceeding expectation.
A number of new indicators have been added to the metrices by which performance of the Festival is measured. A major one has been the responsiveness of the Festival to the broader Creative Industries development mandate.
“While the mandate for the Creative Industries is not directly under the remit of the Tourist Board, it relates to us in two ways. One being that our product development focus must always aim for the retention of what is authentically Saint Lucian. But also because fortuitously, we are even better able to do that given that we fall under the same governmental administrative structure with the Creative Industries mandate,” explained the SLTB’s Director Louis Lewis.
“In fusing the artistic and the culinary product with Jazz, direct benefit to our Creative sector is an obvious outcome to track because Saint Lucian Arts shared as prominent a space as the imported components. In real terms the Festival invested heavily in the marketing of the literary, fine arts, fashion and cuisine, created avenues for promotion, networking, exposure, as well as capacity building,” SLTB Director explained.
In the estimation of Chairman of the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival Committee Thaddeus Antoine, of the several ‘firsts’ added to the Festival this year, the increase in free shows, and events close to the cultural personality of the country, as well as trending artistic genres, succeeded in achieving something which the rebranding established as a priority. “The people feel more ownership of Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, because they can become fully immersed in the buzz, whether or not they make it to main stage or other paid events.” exclaimed Antoine.
The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival boasted over fifteen island-wide venues featuring some of the best live performances spiced with the celebration of Saint Lucian Arts, culture and cuisine. It ran a full 13 days from April 30 to May 12, 2013.
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Benefits of Social Media to Boutique Hotels
Social media offers a tremendous opportunity for the boutique hotel sector to compete with larger international chain hotels, according to Commune Hotels & Resorts chief executive, Niki Leondakis.
Addressing delegates at the Boutique Hotel Summit 2013, Leondakis said: “Social media has grown to become one of the most important and levelling aspects of marketing today, offering the opportunity for boutique hotels to connect with their guests as never before. Guests can learn about our brands, allowing them to make a selection based on shared lifestyle affinities, through our shared love of art, design or fashion, for example.” Social media channels – including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr – allow hotel brands to “emotionally engage” with guests, building loyalty.
She explained Thomson Hotels, of the two brands under the Commune umbrella, had determined guests who were ‘fans’ of its properties on a social media channel spent 35 per cent more during a stay than those who were not. These guests also booked direct through the Thomson site, reducing revue lost to third party booking engines, while also rebooking at other properties within the portfolio.
In future, technology will redefine the hotel sector, Leondakis argued, allowing hotels to offer customizable in room entertainment, for example. The ability to check in remotely using a smart phone and to open room doors with the same device, will follow in the not too distant future, she added.
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2013 Certificate of Excellence
Rainforest Hideaway
General Manager Jean-Rene Du Boulay, was delighted when he heard this week that Rainforest Hideaway had been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for the third year in succession. Jean-Rene state that, “the whole Rainforest Hideaway team works incredibly hard to maintain Rainforest Hideaway’s position as one of the top restaurants on the island – and indeed in the Caribbean. In fact we’ve been listed by TripAdvisor as the Number One restaurant in Marigot Bay every year since we first opened in 2004.”
Frequently described as “The Most Romantic Restaurant in the Caribbean”, Rainforest Hideaway is a favourite with visiting celebrities arriving on the Marigot Marina on their mega yachts as well tourists from all over the world and St. Lucians from both the north and south who drop in regularly for special nights out and family celebrations.
Just a few steps away from Rainforest Hideaway is Mango Beach Inn with a fabulous view of the Marigot Harbour. Mango Beach has also been awarded a Certificate of Excellence for the third successive year and is currently offering a “Gourmet Getaway” combining dinner at Rainforest with an overnight stay at Mango Beach – a vacation break without leaving the island.
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Chef’s Administrative Training
Monroe College through the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) reaches out to Chefs in the Hospitality Industry by offering Administrative Training to boost the competences of chefs at all levels. This training is geared at helping chefs understand the importance of proper sanitation, safety and hygiene standards, monitoring goods in order to maintain cost control. Chefs will also learn how to organize their kitchen, managing kitchen waste, preparing work schedules, handling and managing stress and how to communicate properly with kitchen staff.
On Tuesday 21st May 2013, a second group of chefs graduated from the Administrative Training. These eleven (11) chefs from eight different hotels attended four (4) weeks of training at Monroe College and today they are certified with Administrative Skills. So far nineteen (19) chefs have received training in this programme and the numbers continue to increase.
SLHTA invites members to participate in this initiative in an effort to improve productivity and further strengthen the skills of your kitchen staff.
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Certificate of Excellence
Ti Kaye Resort and Spa
Ti Kaye Resort and Spa, ecstatically announces that they have been awarded the coveted ‘TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2013’ title, for the third year in a row!
In an email sent to the resort,”TripAdvisor is delighted to recognize Ti Kaye Resort & Spa with a 2013 Certificate of Excellence. This prestigious award, which places you in the top-performing 10% of all businesses worldwide on TripAdvisor, is given to businesses that consistently earn high ratings from TripAdvisor travelers.”
Upon receiving the award, General Manager of Ti Kaye Resort and Spa, Chris Rels gave a sincere Thank You, to all the guests who choose the resort as their vacation destination and who also took their time to write amazing reviews of the resort, thus cementing their ratings. Mr. Rels also thanked the “Ti Kaye Family”, as he affectionately calls his staff, who consistent quality customer care and dedication to providing a phenomenal guest experience, is the main reason why they have received this award.
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SLHTA’s Cricket Competition
The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) started this year’s Sports Invitational with a 10/10 Cricket Competition for its members. The games were played at four different venues namely, La Fargue, Piaye, Corinth and Monchy playing fields.
These are the following scores so far in the competition:
Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort (69) vs. Sandals Grande St Lucian ( 61)
Jade Mountain (111) vs. Sugar Beach (96)
The Landings (47) vs. St James club (48)
Marigot Beach Club & Dive Center (80) vs. Rendezvous (82)
St James Club Morgan Bay vs. Sandals Grande St Lucian
Bay Gardens Resorts (69) vs. St James Club Morgan Bay (68)
Hotwire Rides (52) vs. Coconut Bay (87)
The competition continues next week Monday 27th May 2013 with Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort playing against Bay Gardens Resort at 2pm followed by Rendezvous vs. LUCELEC at 4pm. These two matches will be played at the Corinth Playing field.
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Outstanding Staff
Phillip St. Croix
Marigot Beach Club and Dive Resort acknowledges outstanding staff member, Philip St. Croix, for his years of committed service to the development of this company.
Philip St. Croix has been employed with Marigot Beach Club Spa & Wellness Retreat, formally known as Marigot Beach Club and Dive Resort, for a period of 21 years. He has been with the company from its inception and started at the age of 16 as a grounds man. As a result of his productivity and dedication over the years, Philip was promoted and earned his title as Grounds Manager.
Philip also known as Ricky resides in the community of Marigot where he was born and raised. He was chosen this week for his hard work, dedication, and commitment to our company.
The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) congratulates Mr. Philip St. Croix for his years of quality service to the Hospitality Industry.
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SLHTA’s Sector Meetings
Members are reminded of the scheduled Sub-Sector Meetings to be held at the SLHTA Secretariat to discuss the impact of the proposed V.A.T. increases and to deliberate the strategy for engaging the Government on our concerns.
Independent Restaurants – Monday May 27th, 2013 at 2:30 p.m.
Destination Management Companies & Tour Service Providers – Wednesday May 29th, 2013 at 2:30 p.m.
Small Properties – Monday June 3rd, 2013 at 10: 00 a.m.
Please confirm your attendance with Ms. Veronica Swanson
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Bonne Cachille’s Encounters with Wisdom
Don’t Let That Negative Thoughts Enter Your Mind
It happens to all of us sometime during the day. For some reason-maybe understandable or not-a negative thought passes through your conscious mind. Your perfect inner guidance system tells you to block it. It is not nourishing to you or others. It does not support prosperity or good health.
The old phrase “strike while the iron is hot” applies here. Right away and automatically, repeat the word block. You may have to repeat it several times: block, block, block. Whatever you do, police your thoughts. We are all responsible for the thoughts that pass through our mind.
Remember: every thought, positive or negative, when mixed with feeling will create an experience that mirrors it. For that reason it is imperative that you focus on the most loving, constructive, harmonious, and prosperous thoughts and feelings possible.
Thoughts Make You Wealthy. Wealth and success start with what you choose to think and talk about most of the day.
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