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Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, has lauded the sterling work of Ocean 2 Resort and Residences. Her comments came as she addressed their first annual awards, which were held at the hotel last evening.
Speaking to a gathering of staff and award nominees, Senator Sandiford-Garner congratulated management of the property for having won a Trip Advisor Traveler’s Award, which she said highlighted the exemplary quality offered by the property.?? She noted that "Through Trip Advisor you have been nominated as one of the top hotels in the Caribbean, the number one hotel in the categories of luxury, family, beach and business.?? The US News Travel report has ranked you as the number five hotel on the island, just behind Sandy Lane, Fairmont Royal Pavillion, Coral Reef Club and Sandpiper Hotel…
"Such achievements are not accidental.?? Strong leadership, clear guidelines and commitment of staff are critical factors for success.?? It has not gone unnoticed that you have adopted the AAA four diamond brand standards in the Resort’s operations.?? Such a strategic move has obviously paid dividends," the Senator observed.
Acknowledging that this success was also due to the emphasis on in-house training and embracing the power of social media and the internet to boosting brand awareness, Mrs. Sandiford-Garner praised the many accomplishments of Ocean 2, for achieving this high ranking in less than two years of operation.
Group General Manager, Patricia Affonso Dass, thanked the dedicated staff for their hard work, to whom she attributed much of the resort’s success.?? These sentiments were also echoed by Operations Manager, Paul Collymore, who stressed that maintaining high standards were critical to ensuring that clients’ needs were not only met, but exceeded.???? He added that the staff ensured that the product was well kept, and encouraged visitors to return. He attributed the resort’s standing – ranked as the number two hotel on the island and number 14 in the region on Trip Advisor – to them.
"They say the first two years of opening a hotel are the most challenging years and for us, I think our staff have really made it seem easy…We do employee recognition every month…in eight to 10 categories where we recognise their efforts for the hotel…Having the right team makes a big difference," he asserted.
The Ocean 2 Awardees were: Employee of the Year, Chantal Burgess; Most Effective Trainer, Natalie King; Supervisor of the Year, Anderson Jones; and Manager of the Year, Paul Collymore.