Dart hotel formally cleared to open
Steven Andre, GM Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, receives the hotel licence from Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell
(CNS Business): The tourism minister handed over the hotel licence for the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa Friday, paving the way for the hotel’s official opening later this month. The first new hotel to open along Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach for more than a decade, it has 266 guest rooms and suites and has been billed as a boost for local tourism and a source of new local jobs. Minister Moses Kirkconnell handed over the licence to General Manager Steven Andre, one of several chiefs that have been recruited from the Kimpton’s US properties. However, the hotel has one Caymanian in its senior management team.
Officials said that Joanna Virtue-Markman, the director of people and culture and the onsite human resources coordinator, would create opportunities and leadership growth for local workers. A Cayman Islands native, she has over ten years private and public sector human resources experience and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the International College of the Cayman Islands.
Andre, who served as general manager of the Tideline Resort in Florida and the Hotel Burnham in Chicago, Illinois, will oversee and manage all aspects of the Seafire’s opening and operations.
Director of Catering Robin Ewing has 20 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, including as the catering boss at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Denver and the Vintage in Portland. In his new Cayman post, Ewing will collaborate with the resort’s executive chef on menus and major events, such as weddings and corporate meetings.
John Stanton, the hotel’s beverage manager, is another Kimpton veteran from Chicago, where he received numerous awards for his work as head bartender at Sable Kitchen & Bar. He will oversee the bar programme at the three dining venues at Seafire – Ave, the Mediterranean-inspired main restaurant; Avecita, a chef’s bar with an ever-changing menu; and Coccoloba, an island-inspired street taco stand meets beach hut — as well as two pool bars and an innovative pantry.
Category: Stay-over tourism, Tourism
