1,200 back on the job as Royalton reopens Trelawny resorts

WESTERN BUREAU:

Nearly 11 months after Hurricane Melissa forced their closure, Royalton’s two Trelawny resorts reopened their doors Tuesday morning, welcoming their first set of guests and putting approximately 1,200 tourism workers back on at the job.

Royalton Blue Waters, and Royalton Hideaway Blue Waters, both Autograph Collection properties, returned 578 rooms to Jamaica’s tourism inventory following extensive repairs, refurbishment and upgrades in the wake of the Category Five hurricane.

The reopening comes with encouraging signs of demand, with the properties starting operations at approximately 60 per cent occupancy and commanding room rates higher than those achieved before Hurricane Melissa.

Kerry-Ann Quallo-Casserly, regional commercial director for Jamaica at Royalton Hotels and Resorts, told The Gleaner that forward bookings are also strong.

The resorts are already sold out for the Heroes Weekend period, while Thanksgiving occupancy is running at approximately 80 per cent and Christmas at 90 per cent.

“It’s fantastic,” Quallo-Casserly said, noting that the company’s sales operation never stopped during the closure.

For the tourism-dependent communities surrounding the resorts, however, perhaps the most significant number attached to today’s reopening is the approximately 1,200 employees returning to work.

Quallo-Casserly said the company retained approximately 98 per cent of its employees, including workers who had sought employment elsewhere during the prolonged shutdown.

“Part of that restoration has to come from the heart. We have to show that we care. We have to acknowledge and recognise our employees.”

Royalton Blue Waters, the family-oriented resort, underwent the more extensive renovation of the two properties.

Guestrooms were refreshed with changes to colours, fixtures, bedding and some furniture, while lobby and other common areas were refurbished.

Poolside areas were upgraded with new umbrellas and lounge chairs, and new branding and signage have also been installed.

Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters, the adults-only resort, had undergone a major renovation approximately three years earlier and therefore received a less extensive refresh. However, it required substantial repairs after sustaining damage during Melissa.

Quallo-Casserly said glass in lobby and buffet areas was shattered during the hurricane, while roofing was also damaged.

The company used the closure to address roofing, plumbing, air-conditioning and other maintenance issues while examining guest reviews and previous feedback to identify areas where the overall experience could be improved.

The properties are reopening with 11 restaurants, nine bars and five swimming pools, along with enhanced common areas and improvements to the Diamond Club butler service for selected room categories.

Menus have also been reviewed, with Quallo-Casserly saying the company has sought to better anticipate the expectations of Jamaican and North American guests, as well as travellers from the United Kingdom, Europe and the increasingly important Latin American market.

With destinations such as St Lucia, Barbados and Grenada increasingly competing in the all-inclusive market and commanding higher rates, Quallo-Casserly said Jamaica’s hotel sector must continue raising its service standards.

ACTIVE DURING CLOSURE

Royalton also remained active in the marketplace throughout the months its Jamaican resorts were closed, maintaining relationships with travel advisers, tour operators and customers rather than waiting until shortly before reopening to resume selling.

Quallo-Casserly said that strategy is now reflected in the forward bookings for the Trelawny properties.

Tuesday’s reopening follows the August 25 return of Royalton’s three Negril resorts, Royalton Negril, Hideaway at Royalton Negril and Grand Lido Negril, which together account for another 573 rooms.

Quallo-Casserly said the Negril properties have already exceeded the occupancies projected for their reopening.

She credited the performance to continued support from travel partners and customers and to the company’s decision to maintain its presence in the marketplace throughout the shutdown.

“We never made the mistake to say we’re closed and let us just wait until three months prior to opening,” she said.

Instead, she said, the commercial team continued working immediately after the hurricane, examining how Royalton could strengthen its position not only against traditional competitors in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, but against emerging all-inclusive competition elsewhere in the Caribbean.

The reopening of the Trelawny resorts now marks another major step in Royalton’s recovery in Jamaica, restoring hundreds more rooms to the island’s tourism inventory and returning another 1,200 employees to work.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com