Business View Carribean l January 2023

21 22 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 1 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 1 “I saw it as an opportunity to combine their focus on luxury and my focus on sustainability in a remote place.” Out of that encounter emerged the Cayuga Collection. “No other management company we know of does what we do,” Hans says.“Most manage their hotels, while we have eight owners with small hotels.We’re applying the same business model Hyatt or Hilton or four seasons would use for larger hotels.” Cayuga Collection focuses on small remote hotels that fit its business model, and after twenty years, they have perfected the business model. “People like our brand of hospitality which brings a perfect balance and symbiosis between luxury and sustainability,” Hans adds. “We provide luxury hospitality without harming the environment or exploiting the local communities. Cayuga Collection achieves this balance by utilizing simple sustainability strategies that blend with the environment and local communities. “We start with the basics,” Hans explains. “Small hotels, small footprint, in harmony with nature. In some of our hotels, trees were not cut down during construction, and you’ll find them growing through roofs or within the restaurant. “We also design our hotels to have a harmonious relationship with the wildlife, including marine wildlife. For example, we don’t have lighting towards the beach, so the turtles aren’t affected if they come nesting.” At an operational level, Cayuga Collection has achieved sustainability by removing small shampoo bottles and single-use utensils and utilizing linen towels and energy-efficient structure designs. While the environment plays a crucial role in the company’s sustainability approach, its centerpiece is its community focus. THE CAYUGA COLLECT ION Cayuga provides year-round employment at all of the hotels. “The first important part of our sustainability strategy is people,” says Hans. “If you don’t involve people - local communities, employees, and guests - in your sustainability effort, it will eventually fail. Without buy-in from everybody involved, it will be challenging to maintain the effort.” Cayuga Collection’s emphasis on leveraging local human resources runs deep into its operations. Unlike most similar hotels that bring ex-pats to head up most departments, the company works at filling all its positions with locals. “From the beginning, we wanted to work with local people, from gardeners and maids to chefs, general managers, operations managers, and food and beverage managers,” shares Hans. “Wherever we operate, we work with a local workforce, which motivates staff because anyone can rise to whatever position they aspire to.