Originally, Cap Juluca, the only tourism property in Anguilla built on Crown Lands, usually closed for the slow season around this time of the year, and reopened for business in November at the start of the new tourism season.
Now Belmond Cap Juluca, under new ownership, the resort has been closed for fourteen months. During its closure it will undergo extensive restructuring and expansion at a cost of some thirty-five million US dollars.
For many years the property experienced a series of ownership and legal battles. It however retained a leadership role in tourism in Anguilla, and the Caribbean, attracting rave reviews from the international travel trade press and related organisations.
The resort is transitioning from the old Cap Juluca to the new Cap Juluca under the single ownership of Belmond Ltd, a collection of nearly 50 iconic hotels, trains and river cruises around the world, with headquarters in London, England. The closing of the old chapter, and the beginning of the new chapter, of the resort was marked on Sunday night, August 27, with a mass staff party, said to be the largest in recent times.
A number of the resort’s over 230 employees, working as teams or individuals in the various departments, were awarded for outstanding service during the past season. In addition, one employee was awarded for having been at the resort for 30 years.
The main awards were: Employee of the Quarter (May-August 2017): Keiron Carty, Housekeeping; and Caldon Hughes, Room Service; Employee of the Year: Keiron Carty; Supervisor of the Quarter and Supervisor of the Year: St. Clair Buffonge; and 30-year Awardee, Gwendolyn Griffith.
They were accompanied at the presentation of their awards by the newly-appointed General Manager, Mr. Tiago Sarmento, and members of the Executive Committee.
Mr. Kevin Carty, who served as Operations Manager, before the acquisition of the resort by Belmond Ltd, congratulated the awardees; thanked the past owners and management of Cap Juluca for their service during the difficult years; expressed appreciation and gratitude to Belmond Ltd for acquiring the resort; for assisting with the employment of some of the employees elsewhere for the time being; the company’s promise of a vastly improved property and the re-employment of employees later on.
Mr. Sarmento, who has only been in Anguilla for a month, thanked the employees for their large turnout. He encouraged them to remain hopeful during what is expected to be a tough year for them throughout the closure, restructuring and expansion of Belmond Cap Juluca.
