A BIG THANK YOU TO THE ROYDONS

Past and present Governments of Anguilla, and the people of the island, owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Leon Roydon, and his son, Nigel, who have spent the better portion of their lives enwrapped in the meticulous, but rewarding, operations of Malliouhana Hotel and Spa at beautiful Meads Bay.

The hotel was the first upscale property which put Anguilla at the zenith of the international tourism market, almost three decades ago, attracted the rich and famous to the island by its quality of service and fine dining; set the pace and standard for the development of Anguilla’s hospitality industry; provided employment for a sizeable portion of the local workforce and much-needed foreign exchange and revenue.

It had to be a very painful experience when the Roydons were compelled to lay-off a number oftheir faithful employees due to the impacts of the world’s dismal economic and financial situation. It was even worse when the long-established, exclusive and luxury hotel eventually closed its operations in May this year, making 162 of its 185 employees redundant and disappearing from the island’s tourism frontline. Taking into account the rave reviews the property, ownership, management and staff had built up over the years, the closure of the elegant resort was both regrettable and heart-rending. After all, Malliouhana is the Amerindian name for Anguilla touching, as it were, the very ‘soul’ of the island and its people. No wonder it became a household moniker across the island.

The announcement of an agreement for the purchase of the majority shareholding in the property by Mr. Ronnie Ben-Zur and his group, an affiliate of French Quarter Hospitality LLC with head office in Atlanta, Georgia, is good news both for the owners and Anguilla. Firstly, it relieves the burden of the Roydons, particularly that of the ailing elder on whom it weighed heavily, and gives them an assurance that the character and best features of the hotel will be retained. Secondly, the sale agreement gives Anguilla substantial hope for a quick return of the property to operations thereby continuing its outstanding contribution to employment, the economyand other responsibilities as a corporate citizen.

All eyes are now on Mr. Ben-Zur and the Government of Anguilla for the next important steps to affirm and consummate the agreement, and to re-position the resort as a key player in the island’s up-market tourism industry. This should not be a difficult process to negotiate. The good thing is that, regardless of any further development plans which Mr. Ben-Zur may have for the property, there is already a 55-room world class resort, spa and other facilities just waiting to be reopened after any needed refurbishing. It is a proud member of the Small Leading Hotels of the World. Every year the Roydons usually closed the hotel at the end of August, undertook any necessary improvements over the two-month period of temporary closure, and reopened it at the beginning of November. It is hoped that this can be the case this year especially as that hope was expressed by Mr. Nigel Roydon when he announced the closing of the resort in May.

Needless to say that Malliouhana Hotel and Spa has been greatly missed by those repeated guests who enjoyed the warmth and pleasure of its accommodation, hospitality and excellent service; and by the many persons who worked there, many of whom it is hoped will be re-employed. The Government is expected to obtain some well-needed financial returns from the sale agreement which should put the Treasury into a stronger fiscal position. In all its compassionate dealings with civil servants, the Government must pay special attention to their monetary needs and, where possible, remember them when any windfall money comes to hand from any source from time to time.

We end as we began by expressing a big thank you to the Roydons for building and operating Malliouhana Hotel and Spa, Anguilla’s first luxury resort, and for being trailblazers and significant contributors to tourism development on the island. At the same time, we welcome Mr. Ben-Zur as Anguilla’s newest investor and partner and wish him every success in his new venture.