Best Practices in Hospitality and & Hotel Management Best Practices of Tourism Travel and Logistics Jamaica Latest Issue September 2024

Coco La Palm Seaside Resort – Negril, Jamaica

written by BVC October 11, 2024

Coco La Palm Seaside Resort

Captivating the Jamaican Boutique Hotel Market

Combining rich history, strategic innovation, and genuine hospitality to offer an unmatched getaway in the heart of Jamaica.

Coco La Palm Seaside Resort in Jamaica is more than just a hotel; it’s a tropical getaway located in Negril with a rich history and a reputation for delivering a unique boutique hotel experience. With 107 rooms, it’s one of the largest boutique properties in the area, boasting an array of amenities that cater to a wide range of guests.

“We offer two swimming pools, one for adults and one for kids, plus a large Jacuzzi,” says General Manager William Vassell. The resort also provides in-room air conditioning, ceiling fans, TVs, and safes. Guests can enjoy two on-site restaurants offering an extensive menu from breakfast from 7am to dinner until 11:30 p.m.

The resort’s journey began in the early ’90s, evolving steadily to meet the needs of its guests. Vassell recounts, “Coco La Palm was established in 1993-94 and opened in 1995 with just 19 rooms.” By 1997, the property expanded to 45 rooms, and just two years later, the acquisition of Silver Sand added another 30 rooms to their portfolio.

The most significant expansion came in 2013, taking the total room count to 107. “Our main goal at the time was to expand and enhance the experience for our clients,” he explains. This involved increasing the number of rooms and developing the resort’s infrastructure. Over the years, a new conference room, expanded restaurant facilities, staff amenities, a full laundry room, and even a bakery were added.

Customer-centric Ethos

What sets Coco La Palm apart is its focus on customer experience and employee welfare. “We wanted to guarantee that our employees felt like a vital part of the operation,” Vassell says. He believes this approach has been key to achieving impressive year-round occupancy rates. “We average about 75-80% occupancy throughout the year, peaking at around 90% in the winter and leveling off to about 65% in the summer.” The numbers speak for themselves, but Vassell attributes much of this success to the staff. It doesn’t matter if your property is clean or a five-star hotel; it’s about the people and how they interact with guests.”

Coco La Palm’s staffing philosophy builds on internal growth and prioritizes customer service. Sales and Marketing Manager Kamesha Brackett emphasizes, “We prefer to promote internally rather than go off-property to fill positions. Customer service is key, and we try to involve our team members, reward them, and make them feel comfortable.” This focus on the internal customer—the staff—translates into a superior experience for the external customers—the guests.

The resort also takes pride in hiring locally. Vassell notes, “100% of my staff are local. We don’t have anyone working for the company from outside Jamaica,” an approach that supports the local community and enriches the guest experience with authentic Jamaican hospitality. While the labor market has been tight in many parts of the world, Coco La Palm has managed to maintain a stable workforce. “Our turnover is maybe 1%,” Vassell says. “We have staff who’ve been with us for 25 years, 30 years. It’s very difficult to get in here.” For him, the people bring the place to life. “That’s what’s important to us,” he says, summing up the ethos that has driven Coco La Palm’s success for nearly three decades.

Engaging Guest Experiences

Coco La Palm Seaside Resort offers a destination where guests can immerse themselves in various experiences that bring the Jamaican culture to life. It does so by creating memories through a carefully curated lineup of events and activities that cater to every kind of traveler.

“We host what we call our managers’ meet and greet cocktail party every Monday,” says Brackett, describing one of the property’s weekly highlights. We offer an open bar, finger foods, and live entertainment from a mento band,” she adds. The casual, welcoming atmosphere makes it easy for new arrivals to mingle with fellow travelers and the resort’s management team.

Beyond Monday nights, Coco La Palm keeps the rhythm of the week alive with entertainment on Wednesdays and Fridays, offering jazz nights and reggae bands based on occupancy levels. “During wintertime, we have Wednesday and Friday entertainment consistently, but in the summer, it depends on how full we are,” Brackett notes.

While the resort does not directly offer boating activities, guests can still enjoy a nautical adventure. “There are licensed boat owners who park on the shore,” Brackett explains. Though not officially part of Coco La Palm, these vendors provide additional excitement for guests looking to explore the coastal waters. The resort acts as a facilitator, allowing guests to connect with these local operators for excursions without taking on the operational overhead.

Inhouse Events and More

For those looking for a more personalized touch, Coco La Palm has initiatives that go beyond the standard hotel experience. “For our repeat guests, we offer a 10% discount when they book with us to come back,” Brackett shares. Special occasions are given extra attention as well. “When we have birthday celebrations, we decorate the room with towel art and flowers from the garden—it’s complimentary,” she adds.

The resort’s event planning services extend to larger gatherings like weddings, family reunions, and birthday celebrations. “We do all kinds of events,” Brackett says. While these are available at an additional cost, the convenience of having everything organized on-site allows guests to enjoy a seamless experience without the stress of coordination.

Coco La Palm also embraces seasonal festivities, with Halloween being a prime example. “We have a yearly activity for Halloween, and this has been going on for the past eight years,” Vassell shares. This year, they’re taking it up a notch with a theme called “Vampire Retreat.” Brackett elaborates on the festivities: “For Halloween, we have five days of activities where guests can participate and earn Coco points.” These points can then be accumulated and redeemed for free nights, adding an element of fun and friendly competition to the experience.

Resilience and Expansion

In the wake of the pandemic, Coco La Palm has shown remarkable resilience, surviving and thriving in a challenging environment for the tourism industry. “I believe we have done pretty well coming back from Covid 2020,” Brackett says confidently. “We have surpassed our target and are doing very well.” Vassell explains this success by noting, “Based on where we were in 2020, 2021, the numbers were really down.” But since then, there’s been a significant turnaround. “Since 2023, we have surpassed 2019 numbers, which was a good year for us,” he adds.

Further supporting this growth, the hotel is investing in infrastructure and guest amenities to ensure the resort remains a top choice for travelers seeking a high-quality experience. Vassell outlines some planned upgrades: “We don’t have enough land space for a significant expansion of room stock, so we’re capping it at around 110-115 rooms.”

Instead, the focus will be on enhancing the existing facilities. “The new project coming in for 2024-25 includes a complete refurbishment of our adult pool, including all the tiles on the deck,” he explains. This attention to detail extends to the courtyard pool and the junior suites, where they plan to “change out cupboards, sinks, and back tiles.” These improvements are part of a broader initiative to ensure that every aspect of the resort meets the high standards their guests have come to expect.

Innovating Experiences

However, Coco La Palm is also looking beyond traditional offerings to innovate regarding guest experiences. Vassell is exploring the idea of a “cliff day” in partnership with other properties in the region. “People who love the beach will always stay on the beach,” he notes, but there’s also a desire to offer guests more variety.

“For 24, 25, maybe and beyond, I want to work out something where guests can stay at one place but have the option for experiences at two.” This initiative could include a day trip to a cliffside hotel, where guests can enjoy a different perspective of Negril. “We’re working on something where we can send our guests up to the cliff, and the cliff can send guests down to the beach,” he explains.

Despite the competitive nature of the tourism sector, Vassell is confident in the resort’s unique offering. “The good thing about it is that a lot of our clients really and truly want peace, good service, and relaxation,” he says. This insight into guest preferences shapes the resort’s overall strategy. “Most of our guests from North America want good service, peace, and quiet—a nice place on the beach,” he adds, embodying the hotel’s slogan of creating a “home away from home,” a guiding principle that influences everything from staff interactions to the layout of the rooms.

Strategic Vision for the Future

As Coco La Palm looks to the next 18 months, its focus is on revitalizing the resort’s infrastructure and expanding its market reach. “We are refurbishing right now,” Vassell shares, highlighting the immediate priorities on his agenda. One of the key projects involves the junior suites. “I want to refurbish those. I want to change all my sinks and my countertops,” he explains.

The resort’s adult pool is also set for a major overhaul alongside the suites. “I want to refurbish my adult pool and my kids’ pool, which is the courtyard pool,” Vassell adds. The materials are already on-site and ready to be used. To carry out these upgrades with minimal disruption to guests, Vassell plans to strategically close sections of the hotel during the slowest months. “I’ll shut down that particular section to actually get the work going,” he says, aiming to complete the first pool within three weeks before moving on to the next phase.

On the sales and marketing front, Brackett outlines an ambitious vision. “We’re looking at exceeding 2023 and 2019,” she states, revealing the drive to surpass not just the pre-pandemic numbers but also the strong performance the resort has seen this year. “We are currently working with the local travel agents to see how best we can push the local business,” Brackett notes. Alongside are efforts to diversify the resort’s international clientele. “We have contacted people in the European part of the world to see how much of the European market we can get,” she explains.

By aligning operational upgrades with strategic marketing initiatives, Coco La Palm sets itself up for a future that promises sustained success and enhanced guest experience. This dual focus on infrastructure and market diversification ensures that the resort remains at the forefront of the Jamaican hospitality industry, ready to meet the evolving needs and expectations of travelers from all corners of the globe.