Business View Caribbean NOV 2022

BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 41 40 them how to be kind and compassionate. Those are innate qualities that they must have and form the prerequisites we look for when hiring.” To illustrate this point, Browne shares a recent guest experience. “We had a couple who came every year, and each afternoon they would take a walk around the peninsula. Sadly, the husband passed away, and the wife decided to return by herself after two years. One day while sitting in my office, one of the bartenders came in and asked if I had my sneakers. I asked why and he answered, I think we should take Ms. Young for a walk. ‘’ Staff members would do that beautiful walk with her for the seven days she was with us.” “That’s just one of the many stories that demonstrate the heart and soul of Hermitage Bay, and we hear it over and over from guests: You have a beautiful beach, your food is fantastic, but we can go to several places around the world and get that. What we get here is that we feel like somebody cares about us. We feel we are family.” When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Antigua, like most countries worldwide, went into lockdown, bringing all tourist travel to a halt. For Hermitage Bay, this was a trying time, but as Browne explains, the resort chose to adjust and adapt to accommodate this new reality. “Like everybody else, when the pandemic hit, we had our challenges. We had to close for a period. However, we were fortunate enough that we were able to keep most of our staff employed. We did our best to ensure our staff had something to work with regarding livelihood.” “When we subsequently reopened after the pandemic, we did so to heavy demand, even though at the time there were protocols that had to be followed, and it was not as easy as jumping on a plane and getting here. You had to get tested, and all that had to be in place.” Post-pandemic demand at the resort has risen steadily over the last two years as travelers resume their regular holiday cycles. “This year and last, we have seen much better business, sometimes more than pre-pandemic levels. People are ready to travel because they’ve been locked away for a while. Hermitage Bay’s design makes it the perfect spot to be in a pandemic too.” “We have wide open spaces and standalone buildings, so you’re not sharing a wall with anyone else. Our dining room and bar pavilions are open air and not air-conditioned, allowing the nice Caribbean breeze to blow through.” “Not only did we have constant demand immediately, air travel resumed, but we also had many clients who did very long stays because of the type of property we have.” One of the significant decisions the resort made that helped it weather the pandemic was to retain as many staff members as possible. In doing so, the resort reinforced its commitment to its staff and had the human resources required to capitalize on demand when the world reopened. “The resort owners said we should do everything possible to ensure staff remained employed. This commitment helped us keep up to 95% of our team. Nobody went elsewhere or left for a different industry. The resort also needed to reassess how it sources supplies. Some adjusting and innovation came in handy, Browne says. “We order a lot from the US, so we had to pivot a little bit when we reopened. We ordered more things in some instances, being conscious of the lead times to get here.” “Another thing we did was to start making furniture on the island that we would normally buy overseas. We had to pivot and be creative on many different fronts, which went a long way in helping us stay afloat through the pandemic.” TRAVEL & TOUR I SM Contact us today! Phone: 954-354-9728 Fax: 954-354-9729 Mobile: 754-245-2054 sase@caribbeanpurchasing.com As a small family business, we know how important quick and efficient service is. Caribbean Purchasing and Supply, Inc. (CPS) began operations in 2017 and is now trusted with providing services to over 15 Islands in the Caribbean. CPS is not a traditional company that offers products through a catalog or a website, we let our clients approach us with any products they need. Whether you require something as small as a set of utensils, or as big as machinery, CPS can help.