The Family Resort That Has Ridden Saint Lucia’s Tourism Wave

Evolving from a 45-Room Hotel into a 260-room Caribbean Hospitality Leader While Keeping Ownership, Management, and Partnerships Decidedly Local

When Joyce and Desmond Destang transformed their retail and real estate earnings into a 45-room hotel in 1995, they couldn’t have imagined their modest investment would grow into one of the Caribbean’s most distinctive resort chains. Today, Bay Gardens Resorts commands 233 rooms across four properties, with ambitious expansion plans that include the ultra-luxury Sapphire Sands development opening this December.

“My mother did not intend to build a hotel. She wanted to do apartments but was encouraged by a few people to make investments in our tourism industry, which was still developing at the time,” says Sanovnik Destang, the resort’s Executive Director who took the helm in 2008. The timing proved fortuitous. Saint Lucia’s tourism sector now accounts for 65% of GDP and 43% of employment, with visitor arrivals climbing 14.4% in 2024 alone.

Bay Gardens operates differently from its competitors. Every general manager in the company’s history has been a woman, and 80% of the management team is female. “With a female managing director and head, I think she set an example for many young Caribbean women,” Destang notes. The resort chain stands as the Caribbean’s largest female-owned and operated hospitality group, a distinction that goes beyond statistics. Former General Manager Berthia Parle became the first woman to lead the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association as president, while Joyce Destang earned Entrepreneur of the Year honors in 2014.

Building Luxury with Local Hands

Nine three-bedroom villas are rising on Reduit Beach, each unit designed to showcase unobstructed views of Pigeon Island. The Sapphire Sands project is Bay Gardens’ most ambitious undertaking yet, with 27 keys that can be configured as one, two, or three-bedroom units, all featuring Butler service and private balconies.

“We’re bringing new restaurant and dining concepts that haven’t been done at Bay Gardens before, including an Asian Caribbean fusion dining concept that will be accessible to guests on all of our properties,” Destang explains. The development arrives as Saint Lucia prepares to add 1,000 new hotel rooms by 2025, responding to record tourism growth that saw 435,659 stayover visitors in 2024.

The resort’s local partnerships cover the entire construction process. “I’m very proud of the fact that we’re able to use all local Caribbean persons from everything from architecture to landscaping,” Destang says. “Blueprint contractors from Saint Lucia, G&G Interiors from Saint Lucia and Trinidad are Caribbean-based but with international experience.” This approach aligns with government incentives that encourage businesses to strengthen connections between tourism and local industries.

Beyond Sapphire Sands, Bay Gardens continues reinventing its existing properties. The company has invested millions in renovating Bay Gardens Hotel, with 30 rooms receiving complete makeovers. “We’re introducing Bay Bites, a food truck on Reduit Beach that will offer hamburgers and salads with a Caribbean twist,” Destang reveals. “You’ll get a burger, but it might be a lobster and lionfish burger or something you’ve never seen before.” These innovations position Bay Gardens among Saint Lucia’s most dynamic hospitality groups as tourism revenues are projected to reach $123 million by 2028.

Community Foundation and Three Pillars of Impact

Bay Gardens formally launched its Community Foundation last year, structuring decades of grassroots support around three core pillars: environmental sustainability, youth sports development, and cultural preservation.

“We’ve had a longstanding relationship with the community that has always been important for us, our employees, for our customers, for just the acceptance of tourism generally,” Destang emphasizes. All Bay Gardens properties maintain Green Globe certification, hinting at the resort’s environmental focus alongside Saint Lucia’s broader sustainability goals for its tourism sector.

The resort’s sports investments have yielded remarkable returns. “I remember Julien Alfred when she first did well internationally when she won gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games. She was 16 at the time, and we invited her and some others to Bay Gardens Beach Resort and gave them prizes,” Destang recalls. Alfred went on to become Saint Lucia’s first Olympic gold medalist in 2024. “We were very early involved in supporting Julien Alfred and her family. It’s amazing the impact it has on people when they are recognized formally.”

Cultural preservation takes center stage through events like the Taste the Bay Food Festival, which drew over 1,000 attendees last year. “Every single one of the eight or nine performances we had were local artists. We really want to highlight how much talent there is locally,” Destang notes. The Daren Sammy Foundation appointed specific ambassadors for each pillar: Daren Sammy for youth sports, musician Ezra D’funmachine for culture, and Helen’s Daughters, a female farming collective, for sustainability. Bank of Saint Lucia, the resort’s sole investor besides the founding family, has supported these initiatives throughout Bay Gardens’ 30-year history.

A Caribbean Experience that Sets Bay Gardens Apart

Guests arriving at Bay Gardens properties often encounter something unexpected in the hospitality industry: genuine warmth that transcends professional courtesy. “Very few places do you go to where you’re greeted like family, often with a big hug. That’s something very unique in the Caribbean, and as a Caribbean-owned brand, we embrace that,” Destang explains.

The resort’s innovative dine-around program pioneered a new approach to all-inclusive packages in Saint Lucia. “We were the first to actually involve local restaurants in our all-inclusive program where people can book an all-inclusive with Bay Gardens but dine out at other restaurants,” Destang says. This model has since been replicated by competitors but remains central to Bay Gardens’ philosophy of integrating guests into the broader Rodney Bay community.

Destang draws a sharp contrast with international hotel chains. “I recently went to Japan and South Korea for the first time and decided to stay in branded hotels. To be honest, I could have been anywhere. I could have been in the US or Europe. Nothing told me I was there,” he reflects. “When you come to Bay Gardens, you can tell right away that you’re in the Caribbean by the way the staff greets you, by the foliage, by the decor of the rooms, by the type of cuisine on the menu.”

This authenticity resonates particularly with younger travelers. “Gen Z wants stuff that’s Instagrammable. They want to experience something completely different and get a taste and feel for something different,” Destang observes. The approach appears successful: Bay Gardens maintains exceptionally high repeat business rates, with guests returning year after year to properties where staff know them by name and remember their preferences.

Digital Innovation and People-First Leadership

Bay Gardens leverages sophisticated digital marketing strategies while maintaining the human connections that define Caribbean hospitality. As president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and former chair of its technology task force, Destang brings unique expertise to the resort’s digital transformation.

“We use just about every trick in the book. If you go to our website, you’ll see ads following you all over if your privacy settings allow for it,” Destang explains. The resort employs programmatic advertising, email marketing, and an innovative Hovr tool that transforms static images into rich videos without leaving the webpage. “We love our travel partners, but the most profitable source of business is getting the booking direct.”

Technology enhances rather than replaces personal service at Bay Gardens. “Yes, if it’s a quick ‘what’s the WiFi password,’ the AI can answer, but if it’s something more specific like ‘I want to make a reservation at this restaurant, do they have vegan meals,’ then you need human intervention,” Destang notes. The resort has introduced tablets for restaurant orders, online check-in options, and will soon launch casting solutions for guests who prefer Netflix to cable television.

Destang’s leadership philosophy evolved significantly since taking over in 2008, when the global financial crisis threatened the resort’s survival. “My mother always said the most important thing in this business is people, not just the guests but your employees,” he recalls. “When I decided to really lean into people, get to understand what makes them tick and focus on motivating them to be the best versions of themselves, that’s what led to better acceptance of the things I was trying to do.” This approach helped Bay Gardens achieve record-breaking performance in 2022 and 2023.

The Next Chapter: Expansion Beyond Rodney Bay

Bay Gardens’ ambitions stretch beyond its current Rodney Bay stronghold. With Sapphire Sands set to open in December 2025, the company signals readiness for island-wide expansion as Saint Lucia’s tourism sector projects 1.43 million arrivals by 2028.

“Sapphire Sands for now is going to be our crown jewel and the best thing that we’ve built. But we are exploring developments in other parts of the island,” Destang reveals. “Saint Lucia is only 238 square miles, but it’s bigger than you think with very different aspects in different parts. We want to highlight the whole island.”

The resort continues investing in human capital through its Bay Gardens Training Institute, launched earlier this year in partnership with Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. “We had about 30 people who graduated with a hospitality certificate recently in bartending, food and beverage, culinary, and housekeeping,” Destang says. “We make the investments or co-invest with the employees, but they take the courses on property, so they don’t have to leave.” This initiative addresses the industry-wide challenge of workforce development as The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association implements new training programs across the Caribbean.

“There’s going to be an increased focus on training and development to upskill and retain our talent,” Destang emphasizes. “We are hoping to be able to make an announcement about investments and hospitality developments in other parts of the island that will showcase that we’re more than just about Rodney Bay.”

As Saint Lucia’s tourism industry enters a new growth phase, Bay Gardens is prepared to expand its distinctive brand of Caribbean hospitality. The family-owned resort chain that began with 45 rooms and a reluctant hotelier has evolved into a regional hospitality leader, proving that authentic local ownership and international standards can successfully coexist.

At a Glance

Who: Bay Gardens Resorts

What: Family-owned Caribbean hotel group operating four properties with 233 rooms, expanding to 260 rooms with the opening of Sapphire Sands luxury villas

Where: Rodney Bay Village and Marina, Saint Lucia

Website: www.baygardensresorts.com

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