Webster-Lake
A large number of employees at Viceroy Anguilla, generally referred to as colleagues, enjoyed an interactive and informal town hall meeting that spanned Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, July 9 and 10. It was called to relay information about the operations of the Resort and to recognise and award a number of them (Colleagues, Supervisors and Managers) for outstanding performance. The period of the awards covered February, March, April and May 2015.
General Manager, Mr. Richard Alexander, highlighted a number of operational areas of the Resort, including finance, and commended the sales and finance teams in Miami and Anguilla for their hard work. He touched on the ongoing talks on the future brand for the Resort and hoped that Viceroy would eventually continue to manage the property, owned by Starwood Capital Group. “Stay strong, stay focused, take it day by day, and let’s hope that this partnership continues for a long time,” he urged the colleagues.
He also spoke about Viceroy being the single fastest-growing hospitality company in the world by size, establishing Hotel Management Agreements in South America, New York, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and London – and about to sign a Letter of intent in Turks and Caicos. He said those international agreements, especially in London, presented employment opportunities for Anguillians with European Passports, affording them, and other expatriates, a chance to work abroad. “If you want to branch out, experience the world, and embrace different cultures, [London] is a place to go,” he told the Viceroy colleagues.
The meeting heard an overview of the work of the Miami team presented by Diane Yost, Director of Sales and Marketing. She introduced her team, photographed on a display poster, and also called up for recognition and thanks the local Viceroy Anguilla team whom she congratulated for their work. A second scheduled presentation by Ms. Yost, also on sales and marketing, was done on her behalf the next day, Friday, by Mr. Peron Supersaud, Room Director.
Resort Manager, Mr.Todd Yamaoka, reported on bookings which showed a substantial increase during the first week in August, especially for August Monday. The next set of large bookings will be for Thanksgiving in November. The Resort will close for the summer break on August 24 and reopen on October 22.
The guest speaker was Mrs. Aunika Webster-Lake, Labour Commissioner. Among other matters, she told the Viceroy colleagues that they were part of the Resort and were required to work in unison – respecting each other and giving a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.
Ms Carolyn Yard, Director of Training and Quality Assurance, spoke on the preparation and submission of performance reviews. She stressed that colleagues would be presented with their signed contracts before the August 24 closure of the Resort, thus enabling them to enjoy the break with their families having the knowledge and assurance that they will be reemployed at the October 22 reopening of Viceroy Anguilla.
Ms Mia Hughes, Viceroy’s Human Resources Coordinator, completed the addresses by reporting on the varied upcoming fraternity events, involving various competing teams of the Resort, much to the delight and cheers of the colleagues.
It was a convenient time for her to announce the nominees for, and winners of, awards regarding outstanding job performance and other areas of recognition. The winners were as follows:
February: Colleague of the Month – Victor Richardson Jr. (Front of Month), Pool and Beach Attendant; and Warren Clarke (Heart of House), Landscaping.
Supervisor of the Month: Cavel Illidge, Housekeeping Supervisor.
March: Colleague of the Month – Shawn Connor (Front of Month), Pool and Beach Attendant; and Pantalion Sosa (Heart of House), Laundry Attendant.
Supervisor of the Month:– Elidad Jacobs Baez, Payroll Supervisor.
April: Colleague of the Month – Joann Phillip (Front of Month), Bartender, F&B; and Juan Cornelio-Gomez (Heart of House), Room Houseperson.
May: Colleague of the Month – Ursula Browne (Front of Month), Massage Therapist; and Serge Stevens (Heart of House), Storeroom Clerk.
Supervisor of the Month: Stacey Penn.
Manager of the Quarter: Nekyra Rogers.
Four other colleagues were recognised. One was: Phillipe Delaney, Irrigation Technician, who was named Unsung Hero of the Hospitality Sector for Men’s Week 2015. The second was: Olivet “Betty” Riley (Housekeeping Manager) – Unsung Champion for Women’s Week in May. The Third was: Jimmi Matthews, Chef de Partie. He was Viceroy’s Gold Medalist for Pastry Chef of the Year at Taste of the Caribbean 2015. The fourth was: Emmanuel Jeffers, Pool and Beach Manager. He was the winner of the Inter-island Body Building Competition held in St. Martin.
