The marketing programme of the significantly upgraded Belmond Cap Juluca in Anguilla is showing increased bookings by guests, particularly from the North-eastern United States, despite the Covid pandemic. This shows that Anguilla, with its visitor protocols and the resort’s excellent guest experience services, is a most desired destination.
Excited by the surge of bookings, Belmond Cap Juluca’s General Manager, Mr. Tiago Sarmento, told The Anguillian newspaper: “We wanted the island to open safely so that we can take care of our people – so we were the first hotel to reopen on November 1st, and we have made tremendous progress, from a marketing standpoint, to position Anguilla on the map again. Those marketing efforts started to have some results from Thanksgiving with the needle moving upwards.
“By December, we had certain expectations about numbers, and our goal was not to lose money and we really exceeded in that. Throughout the second and third week of December, we doubled what we had on the books for Festive which was something that we never anticipated. It came to a point that we had to cap our occupancy for Festive because we wanted to guarantee good quality services.”
Safe Haven For Guests
“I think the strategy of Anguilla, as a safe haven for tourists, works. There is still a big question mark on what is going to happen in January because business is coming in at the very last minute. This also puts an extra weight on our shoulders because of the need to have a very fast response time in terms of processing all of the procedures that are required to come to Anguilla. I would say that sixty percent of our reservations are coming in this week which is very different than it ever has been at Cap Juluca. I am still expecting another fifty percent of our bookings next weekend to come in.
“There is a big uncertainly because we don’t know how to even staff properly because you need to adjust your staff levels to the occupancies that you have. Then, of course, the concierge team needs to work very hard to be efficient, together with the health team, on processing all the tests and submissions etc. that are needed.”
Mr. Sarmento disclosed that, as a result of the recently increased guest arrivals, Cap Juluca was obliged to bring in some twenty extra Julucans who promptly responded to return to work. “It was very good to see them back home at Cap Juluca even though it was just for a period of a few weeks,” he observed. “I hope that this is a good indication of what might happen in the future.”
Four Popular Restaurants
In giving an idea of some of the services offered by Cap Juluca, he told The Anguillian: “We have four restaurants which have become very popular. Cip’s by Cipriani had a two-week waiting list and, unfortunately, it came to a point when we could not accept anyone else from outside Cap Juluca because the restaurants were at their maximum capacity. I think moving forward with this variety of four restaurants, we can offer something that is very unique which you don’t see at any other resort on the island – which is a taste of Anguilla, and a taste of the world at the same resort.”
He stated that The Cap Shack, located on the west side of Maunday’s Bay, with its barefoot luxury, shows how genuine and nice the employees are. “This is also the only place on the island that can accommodate bubble and non-bubble guests as we follow the strict protocols of the Health Department,” he said.
“We have a Peruvian restaurant in the Main House called Maunday’s Club, and then we have Cip’s by Cipriani and Pimms. These three restaurants are very popular, every day gaining market share and popularity in the local community as well as with the bubble guests.” He pointed out that only the The Cap Shack is available to local persons, and that a new calendar would shortly be announced to offer more options for locals and residents as well as guests who had been in Anguilla for more than two weeks.
Thanks To The Julucans
Mr. Sarmento is of the view that as Anguilla is considered a safe haven, there is a need to continue to promote the island and Belmond Cap Juluca, in particular, in order to guarantee success in 2021. He went on: “I am very excited that all our Julucans are working really hard and happily. There was an enormous deal of collaboration here throughout the past month, and I told my team at our morning operations meeting that we all should be very proud. This is because of what we have achieved even with the obstacles ahead of us. I cannot thank the Julucans enough for the focus and dedication that they have been putting in to making our guests happy.”
Cap Juluca, the Best Medicine
Mr. Sarmento was asked where most of Cap Juluca’s guests were arriving from. “Mostly from the United States in the North-East and the Tri-State of New York” he replied. “It is very cold there now. Imagine to be stuck at home for the past nine months because of the limited movement going on in most of the United States. New York, in particular, is very restrictive so I truly believe that coming to Cap Juluca is the best medicine when our guests have been through so much in the past nine months – locked at home; working from home; and having their children at home. So it is a big push on our guests, but now if they can come here and take a little bit of this medicine I think that’s the best treatment they can possibly get.”
Asked about the arrangements for the arrival of Cap Juluca’s guests, the General Manager explained: “They come directly here. They will fly to St. Maarten or by private jets to Anguilla and stay with us through the established protocols and enjoy the facilities of Cap Juluca – and then all the other approved facilities on the island. These include restaurants, excursions, nature tours, etc. It is really nice for the guests because there is a sense of safety that they don’t get back home. But you don’t know who is contaminated, but here, through all the protocols that are in place, and established by the Health Department, people feel safely. It takes sometimes one, two or three days for the guests to have their own emotional moment as they come here. They have gone through so much in the past year that when they come here, and see this beauty and our friendly and caring Julucans, and that they can experience Anguilla, it is really creates an extraordinary moment of relief for them and to focus on what really matters to them. It is beautiful to see that.”
Most Beautiful Beach On The Planet
Mr. Sarmento continued: “The average length of stay at Cap Juluca, until last year, was seven nights. This has now been extended to ten-plus nights. Even if our guests themselves reserve for a week, they extend their stay because they want to enjoy more of the positive energy that we have here. So we are clearly seeing a trend in longer stays, and of guests reserving villas and our best suites because they want more space in front of the most beautiful beach on the planet.”
He said that some guests kept extending their stay by two or three weeks at a time, and that some of them had been at Cap Juluca since the first week of November.
Protocols To Protect Guests and Staff
Asked to comment on how the Julucans serve or interact with guests, he stated: “We follow all the protocols that were approved by the Health Department. We had a very extensive list of standards and protocols in place since before we opened. Belmond was very fortunate to have hotels operating all around the world throughout the old year. So all of our protocols were already tested before, and we are very confident that they are strict enough to protect our guests and our staff in terms of a possible cross-contamination. We make sure that those protocols and operating procedures are followed very strictly so that if, God forbid, there is a cross-contamination, we can act accordingly.”
He stressed that his message to guests is: “If you want a safe place that offers you the beauty of really being in a paradise, this is the place to come.”
Mr. Sarmento has the distinction of having overseen the refurbishing and expansion of Cap Juluca, and now serving as General Manager of the famed resort.
Smiling with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, he commented: “Our guests love the new facilities; the new decorations; and the new services like the Villa Host Service which is much more than a butler and a concierge. It is like a personal assistant to our guests. This was brought to Cap Juluca by Belmond and the guests still love what has always been the soul of Cap Juluca which is the genuine care of the Julucans. You can go on Trip Advisor and see that most of the reviews always mention Julucans because the people are the ones who make the difference.”
The Julucans Are My Family
Mr. Sarmento further said: “I am very proud of what the team has achieved so far. We have a unique level of positive energy between the Julucans. What makes me prouder is that even after Belmond that legacy kept on. The Julucans are my family and I just don’t say that. I feel it, and I Iive it every day. I lived that since our arrival a little bit before Hurricane Irma. When you are taking care of your family, you learn a lot and receive a lot also. Looking at the smiles of our Julucans, this past Festive Season, when they were all working tremendous hours and dedicating so much of themselves, they still were able to smile and nothing shows more accomplishment than that. This real taste of success during Festive, is a result of having a very happy family here at home. What I mean by home is within Cap Juluca.”
