Excellence pays off for Sandy Lane

Barbados’ premier hotel brand is reporting a successful 2018 performance, in part due to the business the resort would have gained as a result of the closures of hotels throughout the Caribbean following the disastrous hurricanes in 2017.

However, General Manager Randall Wilkie, said that good business was an anomaly, and noted that the AAA 5 Diamond resort would not likely see that increase again this year.

“Regardless, we still continue our marketing efforts to increase new business to Sandy Lane especially in the US market. We have seen an impressive return on ad spend with over US $1.3 million in revenue generated from our 2018 digital advertising campaigns alone.

“Our newsletters and email campaigns also contributed to our revenues for the year 2018, we received over US $7.6 million in revenue from these communications,” Wilkie said.

The general manager was speaking at the recently held annual Employee Recognition & Gala Awards Dinner when he indicated that every day Sandy Lane receives feedback from an internal guest survey Medallia and throughout the hotel’s social media channels, commenting on the genuine nature and professionalism of employees.

“As one guest quite rightly commented – you all are the soul of Sandy Lane and it is you who will continue to give Sandy Lane its competitive advantage. We must never lose sight of this and strive to maintain our commitment to excellence as this is what will distinguish Sandy Lane from its competitors,” he said.

Wilkie, who gave the assurance that Sandy Lane would continue to focus on management development, training simulations and implementing cross training in each department, said this year the hotel would introduce into its training portfolio, a Forbes Online Interactive Training Platform focusing on basic and department standards.

Delivering the keynote address at the event, Senator Lisa Cummins, who commended the resort for its ability to maintain a high level of excellence over the years, urged the employees to translate Sandy Lane excellence into Barbadian excellence.

“A Sandy Lane Barbadian excellence that takes Barbados as a nation, as communities, beyond the stars, which is our theme tonight. All of us, myself and you, who have put our hands to what we call the national plough, who are building a nation, a society, community and families and homes, one by one, bit by bit, have to begin crafting a new vision for a new nation,” Senator Cummins said.

The People’s Champion Female award went to Sandra Maughn from the culinary department, and the People’s Champion Male was awarded to Majoe Armstrong from the Golf Turf & Landscape department.

The Center Court of The Year Award was taken by Michelle Gibson from Front of House, while the Outfield of The Year Award went to Anderson Watson from engineering.

Esandia Wiltshire from the Spa department received the Star of the Year Award, while Michael Greaves from Stewarding walked was named Coach of The Year.