Business View Caribbean | December 2020

36 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN DECEMBER 2020 rather than corporate getaways… it’s always a tight rope you’re walking, where you have a mix of people coming for corporate events and people trying to enjoy a relaxing vacation. Our strategy has always been to try to avoid that. However, we do have packages for weddings; we actually host about 60 to 70 weddings a year.” Blue Waters employees 250 staff members, including 12 gardeners who do an exquisite job tending to 20 acres of lush, tropical gardens. The resort is also a champion of the local agricultural community – purchasing fresh fish and chickens and produce from local farmers. The resort also maintains a herb garden, started in 2019 as part of a sustainability initiative. “Environmental responsibility is something the world is focused on right now,” states Phillips. “In that regard, we banned the use of plastic straws resort-wide and we are looking at biodegradable products such as trash liners. And Antigua has banned all Styrofoam, so we now have environmentally-friendly takeout containers.” One of Blue Waters’ bigger initiatives is the implementation of a refillable water bottle system. Guests are given a BPA-free plastic water bottle when they arrive and there are water stations set up throughout the resort where they can fill up – no more single-use miniature plastic water bottles. And food waste is given to local pig farmers on the island. Phillips reports, “By the end of 2020, we will have refillable bathroom amenities throughout all the accommodations. Again, to stop the use of all the single-use plastic bottles. These changes have been well received by guests, as long as it’s sustainable people are happy to buy into it.” From a technology perspective, guests enjoy complimentary wi-fi throughout the resort, a smart investment made during an upgrade of the facility’s infrastructure in 2019. Phillips adds, “We also invested in 2018 in a new property management system called Opera that is quite popular. We use that to manage our reservations and make sure we have a data system for guest