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Bathsheba on Barbados’ East Coast is one of several resort areas that should benefit from increased airlift to the island country. |
From possible new flights to Barbados to the opening of a highly anticipated luxury hotel in St. Kitts, Travel Agent brings you the highlights from our reporting during the latest Caribbean Week celebrations in New York City. Caribbean Week, a series of trade and consumer promotional events created by the Caribbean Tourism Organization, concluded on June 6.
Kittitian Hill to Open in December: There will be a buzz surrounding St. Kitts this December with the opening of Belle Mont Farm, the first chapter of the much-anticipated Kittitian Hill luxury development. Belle Mont Farm is set on a hillside amid 400 acres of steep contours and flat coastal plain on the north coast, between Mount Liamuiga and the Caribbean Sea.
Its 84 guesthouses and seven four-bedroom farmhouses will offer views of neighboring islands St. Eustatius, St. Barths and St. Maarten. The December launch will also unveil The Kitchen restaurant, The Mill bar, Irie Fields Golf Course, and The Workshop fitness center. Complementing the Kittitian Hill project is the famed Golden Lemon Inn at Dieppe Bay, acquired by the Belle Mont developers last summer. Amenities include a black sand beach and The Beach House bar.
Belle Mont Farm and the wider Kittitian Hill project is the brainchild of Val Kempadoo, a social entrepreneur with Caribbean roots. It is being designed by Bill Bensley, an award-winning architect known for his work with Four Seasons, Oberoi and Leela hotels in Asia. Belle Mont Farm will be overseen by GM Carlos Salazar.
Clients can immerse themselves in local culture and heritage, Kittitian Hill’s organic farming community, distinct farm-to-table culinary experiences, and wellness offerings centered around wellbeing.
Kittitian Hill is a $600 million hospitality and real estate destination. The destination is founded on the four cornerstones of sustainability—cultural, economic, social and ecological.
Highlights of upcoming 2015 phases of the Kittitian Hill development include the Mango Walk Spa, a destination spa that will be secluded in a forest of giant mango trees high on the mountain, and Yaya Groves, a collection of secluded three- and four-bedroom private villas available to rent or purchase. All villa bedrooms will be master suites with ocean views through floor-to-ceiling windows. Villas will offer such amenities as professional kitchens, infinity pools and wrap-around verandas.
The Village will be a central part of the Kittitian Hill experience, where community and culture will thrive. It will be a place where people can gather to relax, eat and drink, catch up on the latest news or just soak up the atmosphere. Eateries and shops will complement art galleries, artisan workshops, a film school and an open-air cinema.
More Flights in Barbados’ Future?: Richard Sealy, tourism minister of Barbados, told Travel Agent that Sandals Barbados is having a direct influence on bringing more flights to the island. Sealy told us that JetBlue Airways has had several discussions about expanding their flights to Barbados as a direct result of the island’s new Sandals Barbados. Sealy says Boston and Fort Lauderdale are two cities that could see additional JetBlue flights to Barbados.
Sealy also told us that the tourism board has also been in general discussions about bringing Delta flights to the island. Sealy says flights from Atlanta have been discussed but discussions remain “general at this point.”
RELATED: Big Week for Caribbean Flight News
Earlier this year, Air Canada included Barbados as one of several destinations it decided to add to its new Rouge flights. Rouge is Air Canada’s new low-cost subsidiary. And Sealy says that decision was also a direct result of Sandals Barbados.
Last November, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) and the Government of Barbados reached an agreement following months of negotiations whereby the resort company would open the former Couples in St. Lawrence under the Sandals flag as well as manage a new Beaches hotel on the island.
Sandals Barbados, which opened earlier this month, however, is temporarily closed to undergo a detailed enhancement program. The wide-ranging renovations began in April and will include the introduction of seven new gourmet restaurants, bringing the total to 10, total refurbishment of the resort’s 280 existing rooms, as well as numerous other additions and enhancements that will offer Sandals guests a level of their Luxury Included experience.
The brand new Beaches resort will be built on the site of the former Almond Beach Resort in St. Peter.
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Carrole Guntley, recipient of CTO’s Lifetime Achievement Award. |
Sandals CEO on Bettridge Resignation: Speaking of Sandals, Travel Agent was onboard the Lady Sandals at Chelsea Piers as part of a presentation on the Sandals Foundation, Sandals Resorts International’s charitable arm, and spoke to CEO Adam Stewart about the sudden resignation of Ellen Bettridge.
“It was nothing bad,” Stewart told Travel Agent. “Everyone loves her. I think maybe the chemistry just wasn’t there. But I have had media calling me [since the announcement of her resignation], wanting to know if there was anything bad behind the story, and there just isn’t.” It was announced in May that Bettridge had resigned from her role as president of Unique Vacations, Inc. (UVI), exclusive representatives of Sandals Resorts International in the Americas.
“We are looking for a replacement, but we will not rush it,” Stewart says. “We will take some time with this to make sure we get a good fit.”
Bettridge began her role as president of the company on January 6, coming to UVI as one of the travel industry’s most recognizable and respected executives. Prior to joining UVI, she served as president of the Americas for luxury cruise company Silversea Cruises. Bettridge joined Silversea on March 19, 2012.
Before Silversea, Bettridge built a 20-year career with American Express, starting as a travel counselor and departing the company in 2012 as vice president of the American Express U.S. Retail Travel Network. Visit www.sandals.com.
Health, Safety and Environmental Initiatives: Travel Agent was on hand as the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) announced a partnership to establish and promote health and safety protocols and practices in the tourism workplace in the region.
The CTO’s Secretary General and CEO Hugh Riley, CARPHA Executive Director Dr. C. James Hospedales, and CHTA Director General and CEO Jeffrey S. Vasser signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) at a news conference at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in New York City, home of the annual CTO Caribbean Week, which celebrates Caribbean tourism and the rich heritage and culture.
Through the MOU, the three organizations will collaborate in areas including food and environmental safety training and certification, public health information, monitoring and response systems for hotels and cruise ships to provide timely alert, and a rapid coordinated response to adverse health and safety and environmental issues. For more information, go to www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.
Lifetime Achievement Award: A long-time Jamaican tourism professional recently received the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) highest honor for a virtual lifetime of dedicated service to country and region. The former director general of tourism for Jamaica, Carrole Guntley, whose career in both the public and private sectors spanned four decades, was presented with the prestigious CTO’s Lifetime Achievement Award at an awards luncheon organized in collaboration with USA Today and the CTO Allied members.
Guntley, whose career in tourism began in 1971 as a reservation sales agent at the then Pan American Airlines, also worked in the hotel sector before she became Jamaica’s first female director of tourism in 1984.
During her tenure, Jamaica reached the important milestone of one million visitors in a single year for the first time, and earned the reputation as a year-round destination. She also launched the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), the country’s first and only sustained travel trade show.
From 1990-1992, Guntley served as the CTO’s first European marketing manager, establishing the CTO London office and developing and implementing marketing programs for the CTO European Chapters. For details, visit www.CaribbeanWeek.com.
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From left to right: Hugh Riley, secretary general and CEO, Caribbean Tourism Organization; Dr. C. James Hospedales, executive director, Caribbean Public Health Agency; and, Jeffrey S. Vasser, director general and CEO, Caribbean Health & Tourism Association. |