One of the features regarding the operations of the Anguilla Great House is that since its coming into existence, in the late 1980s, it has never closed except in times of hurricanes.
The West Indian-style property, of wooden-architecture, with tray roofs, ginger bread trimmings, and brightly-painted walls and shutters, is located at Rendezvous Bay, site of the 1796 French invasion of Anguilla. It boasts 31 luxury rooms housed in a most attractive cluster of buildings ringed by stately coconut palms, with a central walkway opening to a sprawling restaurant, a swimming pool, and the historic beach, overlooked by the mountain range of nearby St. Martin/St. Maarten.
The property was conceptualised by its parent company, The Anguilla Tourism Development Company, and was incorporated in 1985 followed by a soft-opening in 1987.
“It was conceived by a group of Anguillians, including my father, Walton Fleming, who decided to get Anguillians involved in the tourism industry,”recalled his son, Wilbert Fleming, Operations Manager responsible for Marketing and Sales.
“The construction was done primarily by my father,” Wilbert said in an interview with Felicia Fleming, Radio Anguilla’s Information Officer. We opened our doors in December of 1987. It was a soft opening and we got running ahead in the next couple of years. It was around 1993 that we joined the Pine Apple Beach Club and were an all-inclusive operation for a short while.
“In 1995, the year after I came back from university, we went through hurricane Luis which kind of changed the course of Anguilla and the tourism industry. We ended the contract with Pine Apple Beach Club in 1996 and became the Anguilla Great House again.Later, in 1999, we had hurricane Lenny which not only affected us, but Anguilla as a whole. We eventually recovered and were doing well until the September 11,2001 incident in the United State. The property struggled to regain its footing and, by 2007, we were actually doing very well with rates and occupancy up until the downturn in the economy…”
Wilbert Fleming said that the Anguilla Great House had always promoted itself as a mid-market property that the regular traveller could afford, unlike the five-star properties. “Our new focus is primarily marketing St. Martin/St. Maarten, St. Barths and the wider Caribbean,” he went on. “Many of the people travelling from there are business travellers, coming to Anguilla for one or two days. At least we attract that clientele although our already low rates are discounted rates. To get the vacationer who will stay seven days, eat in the dining room, utilise the facilities and come back year after year, is where a property, like ours, can make most of its money.In addition to the Caribbean, we are tapping into the South American market – which is a growing market – and we are also looking at the US and UK markets. But it is extremely expensive for small properties, by themselves, to be able to make an impact loud enough to make a difference.”
Fleming continued: “The Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association gave us a relationship with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association which is really a great advantage to us. As a result, we have an opportunity to meet with tour operators and purchasers through CHTA every January. We utilise that occasion for without that we would not have access to those buyers in different parts of the world. The Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association has also created a booking system on its website where every small property, like ours, has an opportunity to list their rates and other offerings.
“However, the Anguilla Great House has its own website where we try to promote ourselves as much as we can. We also use the social media: facebook, twitter and email blasts. We also attend trade shows where we meet directly with consumers, but this is really expensive as each time I go on a trip it costs over US$3,000. You have to do ten of them a year,but you have to see the revenue first before you spend that kind of money.”
Asked what may have set his father’s property apart from others on the island, the younger Fleming replied: “The Anguilla Great House does not close. We have never closed since the day we opened. We have been opened consistently, except in times of hurricane.”
