“I am blown away”, one visitor remarked on entering the main building of the attractively-revitalised Malliouhana-Auberge Resort & Spa in Anguilla. The surprised visitor was referring to the aesthetically-pleasing lobby with predominant displays of eye-catching Haitian art and other decorations on the walls, and duplicated inside the exquisitely beautiful lounge rooms and other areas of the resort. Additionally, sections of the front floor are so designed that one gets the sensation of walking on water, while in fact looking ahead, through the wide corridor, at the backdrop of ocean at Meads Bay and Turtle Bay.
Mr John Vasatka, the General Manager, who, along with others, oversaw the careful, comprehensive revitalising and modernising of the hotel, gave some pertinent information to the local media. He was accompanied by Mr Russel Reid, the Anguillian Director of Human Resources , who joined the conversation.
Mr Vasatka paid tribute to the late Mr Leon Roydon for having selected “this wonderful piece of property”, many years ago, “to build his dream hotel above Meads Bay”, but which eventually closed in 2011. He was happy that AJ Capital saw in Malliouhana all those things that Mr Roydon had envisioned including the original high quality of artwork he had acquired and commissioned, “worthy of museums around the world”. When AJ Capital, a group of hospitality and real estate investors in Chicago, became the new owners of Malliouhana, they brought along Auberge Resorts to help with the design which was done by Todd-Avery Lenahan of Las Vegas, USA. The designer had worked with Auberge in the past refurbishing hotels in Aspen, Colorado.
Mr Vasatka explained how Malliouhana was refurbished. “With AJ Capital, Auberge, the designer and the architect, the structure was modified a little bit,” he stated. “It meant opening up the lobby, changing and rebuilding the restaurant, the pools and then redesigning the rooms. We have now moved to the most critical component which is the staff. The building is only a building, and the pool is only a pool. It is when you put people in the mix that it becomes something special.
“With Mr Reid, we think we put together the finest group of people – hospitality professionals in Anguilla, much like what Malliouhana did when they opened earlier on – a stellar cadre of professionals. Some are re-learning the trade since the hotel has been closed for a few years, and many are learning it for the first time. We couldn’t be more pleased and thankful for the group that Russel has helped put together. That is the final component and the only thing you have to add after that is guests. The guests are a wonderful group of people who come to Anguilla, and the rest of the Caribbean, from the United States, South America and Europe. When they come, we have to listen very closely to what they like, and what they don’t like about the hotel so that it will continue to evolve, the staff will continue to be trained and get better.”
About 60 percent of the staff comprises past employees, with the other 40 percent being new workers anxious to try their good fortunes in the hospitality industry. Mr Reid said that together they comprised approximately 160 employees including about six work permit holders. He pointed out that a number of former managers at Malliouhana had been retained by the new owners of the resort.
Mr Reid, a former well-experienced Labour Commissioner in the Anguilla Public Service, said that the resort had already embarked on training staff members in relation to the service standards of Auberge Resorts and to put in place an understudy programme. One of the understudies is Carlton Hughes, the Assistant Food and Beverage Director, who has been identified to eventually succeed the work permit holder.
“Auberge Resorts care about staff and they have some benefits for the staff going forward,” Reid disclosed. “For instance, employees after completing one year of employment at Malliouhana can spend three nights at any Auberge property in the United States or Mexico, and opportunities for reimbursements for education in relation to courses they may wish to embark on.” He stressed that Auberge was a brand with staff development and performance, as part of its basic standards and line of service, were important considerations.
Mr Vasatka was happy to have Mr Reid as a member of the local team of managers at the resort. “I am very happy to have Mr Reid and his vast experience in hospitality and labour relations,” he commented. “It is a wonderful skill and experience for a wonderful resort like us to have, quite honestly. Russell and I and the staff have been learning new standards.”
He went on: “I think that the guests will see Malliouhana first and foremost as having been modernised just a bit. In their rooms they have perfect WI-FI and we don’t charge for it. It is included in the rates. We have continental breakfast included in the rates as well. Those sorts of things weren’t present in the past. Part of the service is the new technology that Auberge has brought in, and part is changing the standards that now go with luxury guest service including the breakfast. A lot of other properties do it. Malliouhana didn’t do it in the past and we thought it was a very good idea; and, with Auberge, guests can literally eat wherever they like. It is a relatively new way of operating a hotel and what the guests want, give it to them. The more you can give to them on their own terms the chances are they are going to come back.”
In the past, Malliouhana has had a long history of repeat visitors including whole families. Mr Vasatka was asked whether he had already seen a number of them returning. “Yes, we do,” he replied. “We have many guests in house right now who couldn’t wait to come back and join us. It has been very touching for many to see old friends and staff they have known for many years at Malliouhana; and some have even started to cry as they are so happy to be back and pleased with what they see. It makes us feel real good.”
The General Manager also spoke about the hotel’s accommodation services for families with children. “We have for the children’s playground a wonderful facility with the latest safety equipment, and a wonderful climbing and sliding area for them,” he explained. “We will do supervised children’s activities in the high season, and certainly in the Christmas season. We have wonderful children’s menus and baby-sitters. Both parts of the family, the children and the adults, can have a wonderful vacation.”
At present, Malliouhana-Auberge has 44 rooms in operation compared with the original 55. “I think Auberge’s vision for Malliouhana is to continue the legacy of some of the finest beach resorts experience in the world,” Mr Vasatka continued. “Second to that, I think the vision for Malliouhana is also to grow it so that we can bring in more investors, employ more Anguillians, and bring more revenue to the economy and the tax base. We would like to look at bringing in some sort of residential programme and, at some point, to add to our 44 rooms. That said, we want to continue to give more Anguillians a wonderful opportunity for a career in hospitality; and the real success of the resort, along with our neighbours and friends on the island, is to see our staff succeed along with the property. And so, that’s a big part of what we do. Russel’s side of operating the resort, providing the training programmes, and working with the understudies and local interns to provide a basis for a career that Malliouhana has done in the past, for so many of our current managers, is one of our missions for success.”
As the resort provides its new and improved service for guests, Mr Vasatka has also extended an open invitation to members of the public to visit the property and experience its service.
“I would like to emphasise that we have completely opened our restaurant and our sunset lounge to everyone. Our new chef, Jeremy Bearman, is doing some wonderful things, so we would like to make sure that people know about this and to come and try out the new Malliouhana,” he added. “Come, see a room; come, have a meal. This is open to the public. Malliouhana is all about being part of Anguilla – the local scene as well as visitors. We want to make sure that we have a great mix. Come, try our food and see what’s new.”
