Business View Caribbean - April 2016 101
fast buffet. We had a number of innovations to capture
the business clientele, in terms of creating a product
– a desk in the bedroom, and the modern technology
that was available at the time. And, as a result it took
off extremely well.”
That Henrickson’s gambit did pay off surprised the
many skeptics who harbored doubts about his plan to
renovate the Marcus Garvey building, a former home
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had been aban-
doned and vacant for years, and turn it into a high-end,
boutique hotel. And after making a careful assessment
of the edifice, himself, Hendrickson agreed. He ripped
out the building’s innards and started from scratch.
At the time of this latest venture, Hendrickson already
had over 15 years in the hotel business, and he had
acquired a well-earned reputation for excellent, per-
sonalized service at the original Courtleigh Hotel, at
another location. He believed that he could combine
this reputation with an impressive property, featuring
elegant furniture and state-of-the-art facilities. Within
less than a year’s time, he had transformed the former
office building into a new business model based on
modernization and personalized service for the corpo-
rate traveler.
Today, according to Hendrickson, almost all hotels in
this part of Kingston tend to be more corporate-orient-
ed, having followed the model that he pioneered. But
the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites is still the market leader.
“We started as a very personalized, boutique hotel,”
he says. “Over the years other small hotels have come
along offering the same personalized, boutique experi-
ence, but we’re able to compete very strongly by listen-
ing to the guests’ demands and implementing what
their expectations are. We try to cater to their every
need. For example, we have a borrows’ program so if
you forget, or you don’t want to bring your adapters
for your cell phone, we have adapters here so you can
