Business View Caribbean | April 2019

32 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN APRIL 2019 them the tools and resources and professional opportunities because we want them to work for us. And if we’re doing our jobs right, I don’t have to worry about how our guests are being looked after because I know the unscripted answers and responses from our staff will be sincere. We encourage them to just be their outgoing, welcoming selves.” Looking to the near-term future, the Half Moon East Cove development is well on its way. Several years ago, a master plan was created for the resort and since then there has been remarkable growth, eastward. Steuart acknowledges: “What once sat on 35 acres, serviced by central facilities within that acreage, was then being called upon to provide and extend services on almost two miles of beachfront. We knew that a lot of the infrastructure needed to be replaced. So, we finished the back of the house complex in October, 2017. A central energy plant was installed, new administrative offices, dining pavilion for staff, central kitchen, central laundry, backup power and water systems, new generator, stormwater containment facility – it was a significant investment.” Having successfully opened that part of the complex, sights were set on guest station product, which are in the throes of completion now. Finished results will include a fabulous new primary entrance into the resort. And the beautiful Great House on the beach will have nine bedrooms upstairs and a welcoming new reception concierge on the lobby level, appointed with high-end Jamaican fabrics and finishes. It will be a non-air-conditioned space with louvered blinds, allowing the trade winds from the hills behind to flow through the lobby. Another treat awaiting guests in the lobby area will be Lester’s Bar, featuring the best rums from Jamaica, the Caribbean, and Central America. Staff is being trained in molecular mixology to create specialty, infused-rum drinks. The resort is also opening an infinity-edged, salt water pool on the beach, along with several new food and beverage outlets. In addition to the 57 new rooms being built, plans are in the works to bring back