Business View Caribbean | May 2022

25 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 5 is between 10 to 14 days, while the North American market is generally around five to seven days. Pineda notes, “Our employees get to know these visitors well. If you look at the comments about our hotels on different online platforms, you will see a lot of remarks about our associates. Some of them have been working at our hotels for decades and, in some cases, our customers visit us almost every year and our associates interact with them by name now. Some of them have the full story of the family. I think that one of the main attributes that we have within our seven boutique hotels in Barbados is the personalized service between our ambassadors by the pool, at the beach, at the front desk. It forms this strong relationship with our guests that creates memories.” During some waves of the pandemic, the resorts experienced a decrease in the number of associates, which affected services, especially in the restaurants and bars. But the property team did a great job approaching local colleges and universities in the hotel industry to bring on some temporary staff that are interested in the industry. “Of course, we supported our associates during that period,” Pineda says, “but I think it’s still a challenge – not only with our hotels, but in Barbados and the Caribbean in general.” While they are still known as Elegant Hotels, the properties are gradually transitioning to the Marriott distinctive brands. The staff and management are working on improvement plans for every property and once they reach the Marriott International standards, there will be a name change, for example, Colony Club – The Luxury Collection. Guests will notice different brands arriving to the island under the Marriott portfolio. Pineda admits, “We had a very solid plan for improvement that was paused due to the COVID-19 situation. Because we’re having such a great demand now in Barbados from European markets and also North America, ELEGANT HOTELS , ALL - INCLUS I VE BY MARR IOTT BONVOY