Local staff help 7MB hotel shine
(CNS Business): Hiring Caymanian staff has really paid off for one hotel on Grand Cayman. While two other major resorts along Seven Mile Beach have recently gone on the market, Comfort Suites, located on the same block on the island, has learned that it has more to smile about these days when greeting its customers. The Choice Hotels International, Caribbean announced that 2014 was the best year for the hotel since opening its doors 15 years ago.
General Manager Tom Mason told CNS Business that the hotel has had nine years of consecutive growth year over year.
“We’re not the biggest guy on the block; we are a small hotel. We decided to give it a go and work hard every day and that has seemed to be the magic formula that has resulted into our success,” he explained.
Mason admits the key to the hotel’s recent achievements is the staff’s commitment to the guest experience.
Comfort Suites, Grand Cayman
“We committed over nine years ago to hiring local people. We have invested in local people; developed and trained local people and also retained them. I am very proud of our Caymanian team. About 90 per cent of our staff are all local workers, and I’m extremely proud of what this group does,” he said.
It’s positive growth in an area that has seen its fair share of for sale signs. The Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, neighbors to Comfort Suites, went up for sale in February with a price tag around $100 million. Just down the road, Treasure Island Resort is also on the market for a little more than $15 million.
Mason said his small hotel decided to rise to the challenge by doing more and giving better service than its competitors. He explained Comfort Suites has recently undergone renovations costing around $2.8 million,
“We redid the breakfast with a full hot breakfast, we built a new gymnasium, we have a new business center, we renovated all the rooms and also did a complete renovation to Stingers Pool Bar and Restaurant,” he explained. “Even though we are a small hotel, we do have many of the services that the larger hotels offer.”
Mason believes the hotel’s success is built with the help of local people and local businesses on the island. He explained that the hotel recently partnered with nine local restaurants to offer guests discount coupon cards for 10% off at the specific locations.
“We work with many other partners and by doing that we can share our experience, we can share our customers and we can share the overall experience of the Cayman Islands, which is a tourist destination that’s second to none,” Mason said. He added, “When you look at the Trip Advisor scores, you can see how we compete. We’ve actually gotten higher scores than some of the larger resorts on Seven Mile Beach, which is truly a credit to my staff.”
As for what the future holds for Comfort Suites in 2015, Mason said the resort is already headed into the year with strong results.
“We’re only as good as the last customer we serve and we’re only as good as right now,” he stated.
The Choice Hotels International Caribbean portfolio also includes hotels in the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and Puerto Rico and in the Bahamas.
Category: Featured, Stay-over tourism, Tourism, Uncategorized
