September 30, 2020
Re: Statements made by Mr. Barry Sternlicht, CEO, Starwood Capital Group
Fellow Anguillians,
I am aware of a Webcast interview, which has been widely circulated where Mr. Barry Sternlicht, Chairman & CEO ofStarwood Capital Group, owner of the Four Seasons Resort in Anguilla, made rather unfortunate and unfounded statements. His public assertions are that the people of Anguilla do not want to work because the British gave each person in Anguilla too much money, so they don’t need to work, and that is the reason why the Four Seasons Resort will not be open during this tourist season. In essence, he suggested that the people of Anguilla are lazy and want to depend on handouts.
These statements are quite regrettable, and are as false as they are uninformative.
I have written to Mr. Stemlicht requesting that he correct those remarks and make an apology to the people of Anguilla.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Anguilla’s borders, like the borders of many countries, were closed in order to mitigate the risks of importing the virus and its spread into the domestic population.
We understand with a stagnant economy the need to open up to visitors to our island paradise, but recognise that we must do so safely and responsibly for the protection of visitors and residents alike.
To this end, we have been working diligently with all tourism industry stakeholders, including Four Seasons Resort, to collaborate to design workable protocols that will allow hotels to open safely by November·l, 2020.
We thank the hospitality workers who are capable and ready to return to work to welcome and take care of our guests. They represent the best of Anguilla; resilient and proud.
Thank you.
Ellis L. Webster
