here. We attract a really well-suited clientele to our
resort. We’re regarded highly because of the peace,
the quiet and the serenity.
“It truly feels like you’re at the end of the world here.
A person walked on the beach into about four feet of
water, put their face in, picked out a lobster, took it
home and cooked it. There are only so many places in
the world you can do that. The pictures are good. But
it’s like seeing the Grand Canyon on picture. Until you
see it up close you have no idea.”
Recognizing its strengths has led to positive feedback
for the resort from its visitors.
The Reef was awarded a second consecutive
Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor in 2013, which
means it maintained an overall rating of 4 or higher –
out of a possible 5 – from a benchmark number of
reviewers on the website for 12 consecutive months.
Only the top 10 percent of listed business qualify for
the recognition.
The resort has received an “excellent” rating from
86 percent of TripAdvisor users, placing it ahead of
three branded facilities on Grand Cayman – Comfort
Suites (84 percent), Marriott (83 percent) and Westin
(78 percent) – and within close range of another name
brand, the Ritz-Carlton (90 percent).
It also earned a spot on the 2012 Expedia Insiders
Select List, which combined input from Expedia’s
worldwide employees along with online reviews to
come up with a collection of 650 listed properties
whose services, guest experiences and value were
considered superior.
“It’s extremely important to us,” Babin said. “The true
rating of a resort is not based on our opinion of what
we have. It’s what the people who come here think of
us. You’ve got to define the market you’re going after.
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
The Reef
WHAT:
Beachfront suite
and studio resort
WHERE:
Grand Cayman
WEBSITE:
You can’t just throw mud on the wall and try to please
everybody, because it’s impossible.
“We know the market we’re after. We know who
we’re trying to attract. We’re certainly happy and
pleased and humbled by the comments we get.”
Maintaining those high marks comes from quality
service, Babin said, but also from a consistent
commitment to keeping the resort’s environmental
standards on a high level.
All power needed to sustain the resort is generated
on site, recycling has been a standard practice since
the facility was built in 1999 and The Reef was the first
site on the eastern end of the island for a solar-panel
charger foe electric vehicles. Surplus energy from the
chargers is fed back into the national grid.
Deals with local vendors are also a first priority when
it comes to food and supplies.
“It’s a very, very sensitive we live in here, so we
all have to be very conscious of the damage that can
be done when people are uneducated or unaware,”
Babin said. “We educate members on what to do and
what not to do, and every one of our partners – tour
operators, watersport vendors, etc. – goes through an
environmental impact assessment to make sure what
they’re providing isn’t harmful.
“The Caymans have a reputation as a very clean and
well-maintained place, and it’s our job to make sure
that doesn’t change. That matters to us a great deal.”
