Business View Caribbean | May 2016

86 May 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - May 2016 87 The Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, Bonaire Sustainability, service, and standards Bonaire is a small, 24-mile long island municipality of the Netherlands that lies off Venezuela’s coast in the Leeward Antilles in the southern Caribbean. Together with Aruba and Curaçao, it forms the group known as the ABC islands. Bonaire is popular destination for scuba divers, and is well known for its easy access to various offshore reefs and dive spots. The unique is- land also attracts wind/kite surfers from around the world. On the west coast of the island is the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, built on the foundation of a World War II POW camp, and near the government buildings of Kralendijk, the island’s capital. The facility became the Hotel Bonaire in the late 1960s, and was purchased by Divi Hotels in the late 1970s. The Divi Flamingo was one of the first hotels on the island and became a dive resort in early 1980s. It was also one of the only local hotels with an onsite casino. The Divi Flamingo has 80 units, with 30 studio suites, and eight ADA handicap accessible rooms. Because it offers PADI 5-Star dive operations with six boats, it attracts many divers and dive groups from the U.S. Its guests also include leisure travelers from the Neth- erlands, as well as local business travelers from Bo- naire. The hotel’s 140 employees serve its visitors, year round, maintaining an occupancy rate of approxi- mately 75 percent. The Divi Flamingo is highly regarded for its excellent staff, equipment, certification classes, and customer AT A GLANCE WHO: The Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino WHAT: 5-star resort hotel specializing in dive and snorkeling activities WHERE: Near Kralendijk, Bonaire WEBSITE : www.diviresorts.com/divi-flamingo- beach-resort-bonaire.htm