SLHTA Mourns Loss of St Lucia Tourism Pioneer

The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association regrets to inform our members of the passing of Mr Bill Stewart, one of the pioneers of St.Lucia’s tourism industry.

We extend our condolences to his wife Heidi and their children Dominique and Liza.

Mr Stewart serves as the President of the SLHTA on several occasions. Hailing from the island of Guernsey, Mr Stewart arrived in Saint Lucia in the early 70’s, originally working for Courtline and after the company’s demise, stayed on to operate the Halcyon Days, Halcyon Beach Club properties in Saint Lucia and the Halcyon Cove in Antigua.

In 1975 Caribbean Hotel Management Services ( CHMS) were formed by Theo Gobat and Bill Stewart. The formerly loss-making hotels were gradually turned into profit making concerns, with high occupancies in the 3 star market and at some point operating more than half of the entire room inventory in Saint Lucia and employing over 800 staff.   CHMS took on Smugglers Village in 1985. In  the early 1980’s, CHMS invested in Capone’s with Albert Haman and Arthur Pilgrim, with Mrs Berthia Parle as the restaurant’s manager. 1987 saw the launch of Clubs International. Smugglers Village became Club St.Lucia. Club St.Lucia expanded in 10 years from 100 rooms to 367. With the 7 courts at Club St.Lucia, CHMS created The St.Lucia Racquets Club, St.Lucia’s first tennis centre, managed by John Easter. This hosted the St.Lucia Open, Davis Cup matches, ITF junior tournaments, and Legends tournament for 4 years in December, with stars like Roy Emmerson and Ilie Nastase giving exhibition matches, and coaching. CHMS was instrumental in the creation of The Great House restaurant and the creation of the Derek Walcott theatre. In 1997, Mr Bill Stewart became the sole owner of Club St.Lucia.
 

Karolin Troubetzkoy Appointed New SLHTA President

The St. Lucia Hotel & Tourism board of directors have ratified the appointment of distinguished hotelier, Karolin Troubetzkoy as president of the SLHTA.

Mrs. Troubetzkoy’s appointment was announced at the SLHTA’s 54th annual general meeting which was held Friday (July 20) at Harbour Club St. Lucia.

Mrs. Troubetzkoy, executive director of the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet resorts in Soufrière, assumes leadership of the association from Sanovnik Destang, Executive Director of Bay Gardens Resorts,who had served as SLHTA president for the past two years.

Prior to her appointment, Mrs. Troubetzkoy served as president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) for approximately three years. She was also chairperson of the CHTA Advocacy Committee from 2012 – 2014. From 2010 – 2015 she served as president of the SLHTA and played an instrumental role in the successful implementation of a hotel booking engine for the association and the establishment of the Tourism Enhancement Fund. Mrs. Troubetzkoy also oversaw the development of a social media platform for the SLHTA and the launch of several tourism-related websites. She was also a director of the former Saint Lucia Tourist Board for several years… READ MORE

St. Lucian CHTA Scholarship Recipient Champions Environmental Protection

Joanne Felix is a Saint Lucian environmental management specialist stationed on the frontlines of the growing regional movement to protect the Caribbean’s natural environment.

Currently based in Jamaica, she‘s employed with the Jamaican government as Director of Environment and Risk Management. Back in 2011 when Joanne made the decision to further her education, she’d actually had her eye on a career in Saint Lucia’s tourism and hospitality industry. She applied for a CHTA scholarship from the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association but she did not succeed. She tried again the following year but, once again, she was unsuccessful. Overcome with disappointment, Joanne began to feel despondent.

However, what she didn’t realize was that those disappointments would turn out to be a valuable learning experience for her and change her outlook on life, ultimately catapulting her on a journey that would help her find her true calling.

“Above all, [not getting] the scholarship taught me the value of perseverance. I felt pretty hopeless. I couldn’t figure out why others couldn’t see my passion, determination and commitment,” said Joanne. FULL ARTICLE VIA LINK BELOW

https://slhta.com/st-lucian-chta-scholarship-recipient-champions-environmental-protection
 

Saint Lucia Resorts receive international recognition

Congratulations to Saint Lucia resorts Marigot Bay Resort & Marina, Cap Maison, Anse Chastanet, Ladera and Jade Mountain on being recognized as some of the 2018 World’s Top 25 Resorts in the Caribbean in the August issue of Travel and Leisure magazine.

Jade Mountain was one of only 2 Caribbean resorts to also be included in the  The Top 100 Hotels in the World listing. Saint Lucia was recognized

as one of the Top 5 Caribbean islands.

Every year for their  World’s Best Awards survey , T+L  asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe  — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities.

Jacqueline Gifford, T+L’s travel editor, commented online: ” St. Lucia took home the most winning hotels — five, to be exact, including honeymoon mainstays Jade Mountain, Anse Chastanet Resort, and Ladera Resort. ““Most romantic hotel ever,” said one reader of the 30-year-old Ladera, which has jaw-dropping views of the Pitons from the open-air suites. “The rooms are an experience out of this world, and cannot be described in words or photos.”” Sister properties Jade Mountain and Anse Chastanet Resort earned similar raves for their open-air rooms — Jade, in particular. “The service, private beach, and views were incredible,” remarked one honeymooner of Jade Mountain, which sits higher up on the hill from Anse. “We hope to go back for our 10th anniversary.”

Read more online here: https://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best

CHTA and Springboard Caribbean launches an internationally accredited qualifications

In keeping with our strategic objective to “Develop our People” the CHTA is pleased to announce the launch of the Certificate in Management & Leadership for Business & Hospitality with Springboard Caribbean, our strategic educational partner.

The qualification is accredited by the Confederation of Tourism & Hospitality (CTH) and has been designed to help existing and potential supervisors and managers gain formal training and an internationally recognized hospitality management qualification. The CTH is the UK’s leading specialist professional awarding body for qualifications in the hospitality and tourism sector and has strong links with the global hospitality industry. This includes relationships and endorsements from organizations like Virgin Atlantic Airways, GTMC, Star Alliance, Marriot Hotels Caribbean, Radisson Edwardian, Sheraton Hotels and Intercontinental Hotels Group. Its management qualifications are recognized and endorsed by over 25 British and international universities… READ MORE

Public- Private Sector Dialogue

Following the July 27 SLHTA Board of Directors meeting, Minister for Tourism Dominic Fedee and new SLHTA President Karolin Troubetzkoy discussed St.Lucia tourism in an informal first meeting. Destination marketing and product development, hospitality training needs, hotel expansions, sectoral challenges, future meetings, potential future event and project collaborations were among the many topics touched upon.

Cariblue Restaurant at the Body Holiday, The Trysting Place and Terrace Restaurant at Rendezvous Resort, Jade Mountain Club at Jade Mountain and the Treehouse Restaurant at Anse Chastanet were the Saint Lucia restaurants to receive one of the coveted Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence.

Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Awards recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. To qualify for an award, a wine list must present complete, accurate information, including vintages and appellations for all selections. Complete producer names and correct spellings are mandatory, and the overall presentation of the list is also considered. Lists that meet these requirements are judged for one of three awards Wine Spectator magazine gives out annually.

Read more Here  https://restaurants.winespectator.com

Youngest Saint Lucia tourism association president demits office, highlights successes

The outgoing president of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA), and the youngest to date, expressed his appreciation to the executive and membership of the trade association for their accomplishments over the past two years.

In his final appearance as president at yesterday’s Annual General Meeting, Sanovnik Destang, 37, stated the collective work of the influential private sector body contributed to the growth of tourism on the island, pointing to statistics showing double-digit increases in stay-over arrivals and expenditures in 2017, and similar advances in cruise arrivals…READ MORE

SLHTA President expresses her condolences to the family of Nereus “Corsol” Francis, an SLHTA Member

 

During her featured remarks at the SLHTA’s AGM Mrs. Troubetzkoy she said it was time to take “a hard look at how we educate our children, how much quality time we are able to spend with them or to give them, and the negative consequences of our failure to honor these commitments which could very well result in their being deprived of a brighter future.”

 

ON BEHALF OF SLHTA, MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE

CHTA Congratulates Karolin Troubetzkoy on SLHTA Election

Frank Comito, CEO and Director General of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), today congratulated the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) on the election of Karolin Troubetzkoy as its new president.

Karolin Troubetzkoy, immediate past president of CHTA and Executive Director of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resorts, assumed the Presidency of her national trade association on Friday after serving for almost three years as head of the Caribbean organization. She succeeds hotelier Sanovnik Destang of Bay Gardens Resorts, who did not stand for re-election, and is joined by newly elected First Vice President John Mathurin, owner of Serenity Vacations & Tours, and re-elected Second Vice President Erwin Louisy of Barefoot Holidays St. Lucia.

“Karolin has a wonderful ability to harness the skills and enthusiasm of all stakeholders to enhance the capacity of the tourism industry to benefit all sectors of society and we are sure she will shine in this familiar role,” said Comito… READ MORE