Viceroy Anguilla, with its landscaping now recovered from Hurricane Gonzalo, officially opened for the 2014/2015 season on Friday, November 24, welcoming its first ninety guests, and with great expectations for the new season.
In addition to its several hundred Anguillian colleagues, the resort opened with a number of new faces among them being an Executive Assistant; an Executive Pastry Chef and Tennis Pro.
Mr Bill Walshe, Chief Executive Officer, with Viceroy Hotel Group, speaking by video, wished all at the resort every success at the reopening. He was delighted with the restoration work following the hurricane; the continuing high performance of the staff; the excellent reviews of the resort by guests on Trip Advisor, and his hope for such positive reports to continue.
Mr Roy Shanholtz, Vice President of Hotel Operations, with the Starwood Capital Group, owners of Viceroy Resorts, urged the employees to execute their roles flawlessly to attract quality guests to Anguilla. He updated them on the sale prospects of Viceroy Anguilla.
“I will probably have guidance within the next two or three weeks as to who the potential owner and the timing of the sale of the resort will be,” he stated. “I estimate that by the end of the year we will most likely have a new owner of the resort.” He added that all of the potential buyers were quality organisations, much like the Starwood Capital Group.
General Manager, Mr Richard Alexander, paid particular tribute to the Engineering and Landscaping Departments for their post-Hurricane Gonzalo restoration work. He said they deserved recognition for what they had done to get the resort back into operation as well as for their services during the summer when the property was temporarily closed. Both departments, represented by senior personnel, were presented with cash awards.
Mr Alexander was pleased to report that the resort was off to a good start, with the festive month of December showing phenomenal bookings and revenue patterns. “It is going to be the best festive season this hotel has ever seen, and then we will be going into the New Year with a lot of things happening,” he went on. “We will be having a very exciting budget next year and we will be having some good groups in January.
Human Resources Officer, Ms Zenya Greenaway, spoke to colleagues about the Ebola virus saying, among other matters, that they should not panic or become overly concerned while, of course, remaining cautious. She noted that the Government of Anguilla and the Health Authority of Anguilla were utilising resources to ensure that there were contingency plans for any manifestation of the virus. She said the leadership of the resort was also putting in place contingency plans, details of which would be discussed during the upcoming staff orientation sessions.
Director of Human Resources, Ms Dorla Hodge, spoke about “a huge welcome back celebration” dubbed “Scare Fest” on Halloween Day, Friday, October 31, from 4 pm to 8 pm. “We are asking colleagues to wear costumes. There will be a lot of prizes and a lot of fun,” she added.
Mr Alexander had the final word for the Viceroy Anguilla colleagues. “It is going to be a very exciting two months coming,” he told them. “Go out there and have fun. Thank you for coming back to work.”
