Viceroy Anguilla reopened on Thursday, October 22, for the 2015-2016 Tourist Season with Quality & Service as the theme for the opening ceremony at Coba Restaurant. The all-embracing catch words will also guide the operations of the Luxury Resort and Residences over the coming months.
“It is a critical time for all of us and it is very excitin2g,” General Manager, Mr. Richard Alexander, told the large gathering of employees – called colleagues denoting the partnership among them: the Executive Committee, the Operating Company and the Owner. “I hope you feel as excited as I do, and I hope you are ready to jump into the future.”
Having received an almost deafening “yes”, Mr. Alexander continued: “The significance of this reopening is so critical to all of us, and also to our owning Company, and Viceroy Hotel Group, that, as a demonstration of its significance, they have seconded their senior most Executive, Mr. Mike Walsh, Senior Vice President (Operations), to be with us on this very special occasion to witness the reopening of the resort and to support us.”
Mr. Walsh said it was not hard for him to decide “to come to this beautiful island for the reopening of Viceroy Anguilla – an amazing property.” He went on: “I want to talk about customer service…and function versus mission. Your job is to take care of that individual person who comes to this hotel and this island and to make sure that he or she goes away happy. If not, they will find somewhere else to go – and there are a lot of beautiful islands and resorts out there. You have to be passionate everyday; proud about your hospitality; proud about Viceroy; and proud about your island. It is a spectacular island.”
Mr. Walsh spoke about plans to further market the resort and Anguilla over the coming season. “It is a huge, huge commitment,” he disclosed. “We are looking to spend between five hundred to a million dollars in promoting this hotel in the East Coast to bring more people and more exposure to this island.” He was pleased with the big welcome he received from the colleagues and looked forward to their continued hard work and commitment.
Anguilla’s Labour Commissioner, Mrs. Aunika Webster–Lake, urged the Viceroy colleagues to remember that their word was their bond. “All of you signed a contract and you gave your word that you are going to work at Viceroy Anguilla and do what you have to do,” she stressed. “I expect that you are going to keep your word because your word is your bond. If you are not here to do a good job, then you should find another place to go. Your theme this year is about quality and service and if you are going to give good quality and service, you must have passion about what you do. If you don’t have passion, you have nothing. You should never do a mediocre job. There is no place in the hospitality industry for mediocrity…”When people call your name let it be associated with excellence; that you are first class and top of the line.”
Mr. Alexander, who chaired the reopening ceremony, gave an outline of guest arrivals, and revenue levels mainly for November and December indicating, among other matters, that the high figures would mean a fair amount of service charge for the colleagues, but he emphasised that quality service and guest satisfaction were important considerations to keep in mind.
He continued: “Today is not about reflecting on the past, but I really want to thank you for the resilience you have shown during the last roller coaster season; and I also want to thank all those individuals who worked during the course of closure to get the resort into such a wonderful condition – ready to welcome our guests today. But today is about looking to the future – visualising the horizon that is in front of us.”
“The General Manager took the opportunity to announce the recruitment of three new hires to serve on the Viceroy Anguilla management team. Ms. Jennifer Richardson, the new Retail Manager who is expected to take the resort’s retail operations to a whole new level; Mr. Jeril Geevarghese who is coming from the Seychelles as Assistant Director of Housekeeping and another individual who will join the team later in the year. “These individuals are going to help us through the new season. It is a new chapter in our evolution and we have to take a fresh approach to the way we run the resort and how we work with each other,” he told the colleagues.
Other speakers were Ms. Charnissa Richardson, Sales and Special Events Manager, who spoke largely about the many weddings coming up at Viceroy Anguilla during the season; and Ms. Dorla Hodge, Director of Human Resources, who spoke briefly on personnel matters and welcomed back the colleagues to the resort and the new season.
