The September to October tourism “slow season” is now here, during which several hotels will be experiencing lower than usual occupancy, and seven are expected to close temporarily.
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However, Sandals Resorts International, which operates three Saint Lucia properties, has opted instead to have staff on rotation.
“Saint Lucia and certainly our staff remain very dear to us,” Winston Anderson, Managing Director, Sandals Eastern Caribbean, told St. Lucia Times.
“Our journey started here in 1993 and we now have three amazing properties. A number of our senior leaders come out of Saint Lucia and it speaks to the quality, the warmth, the friendliness and that passion in Saint Lucia,” Anderson stated.
He explained that the quality of the visitor experience, the service they receive and the people of Saint Lucia contribute to the success Sandals has enjoyed here.
In August, Sandals Barbados laid off 200 workers before the slow season.
Anderson responded when asked whether this created any anxieties among Sandals employees in Saint Lucia.
“I would say first of all that it would be human nature to be anxious about what they see happening elsewhere and to say there wasn’t, yes there were. However we try to understand the situation from the perspective that this is not unique to Saint Lucia but across the Caribbean. During this period, occupancy tends to be low and one of the factors is the tropical hurricane season and people being uncertain of what is happening and there are many other factors that impact people deciding to travel,” he explained.
“Our approach is that yes we always look at downsizing during this time but we prefer to have our staff on rotation because we want our staff to always be able to put food on the table. Therefore, our strategy has always been to rotate. So instead of you working a full week we will do a couple days less and you are still able to earn a living and we continue to market,” the Sandals official told St. Lucia Times.
Anderson also acknowledged the powerful influence of social media and personal interactions in favour of the resorts.
“So every single interaction I always say to our team and to everyone in fact, that every visitor, everyone out there is a marketing agent. Every interaction with a guest is going to create an experience to allow them to not only come back but encourage other people to come and I think that this is the best way to combat this period,” Anderson stated.
Anderson allow us to get a Union to represent us. We are tired of this slavery thing you are working on us. The last government gave you all $24 million , so why do you want to send some of us home? RIDICULOUS
Trust in the LORD !
God is good !
The same as Yesterday,Today and Forever ❗
No marketing will combat hurricane season in the Caribbean.
I am sure if they had attractive staycation rates to attract locals for these 2 months it would help. But I guess they would rather have low occupancy and layoffs than have locals who spend USD$350/room/night
@Lisa you have a very good point. Several hotels offer low staycation rates during the season. Why doesn’t Sandals do that?
I use 2 love sandals for the past 20+ years but now the prices are so high it’s impossible 2 continue 2 stay there. And even in the SLOW periods that they talk abt the prices are high. We were in st lucia and was caught in the hurricane. I’m just not sure what they are doing but it’s not gud anymore.
Complainers will complain. Instead of commending the resort for trying. Yes unionise, let the union strike and let them do like other hotels and close for three months. That would make you happy right? You can’t please some people, they always want to see the negative.
@Alias Frank Salomon…….leave them to there let the keep looking to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. There are two things I am praying for (1). Sandals don’t leave St Lucia (2). Sandals is not sold to another cooperative entity, either of these two would affect Caribbean island tourism a great deal and not for the better St Lucia economy would take a hit; because the first thing when a new cooperation takes hold of a new entity one of the first thing they do is trim the fat. St Lucians want to unionize but they won’t in The Dominic Republic or next door in St Vincent where Ralf is begging for another Sandals or two….bye bye. You have fools post all kind of crap….. but never mind. Sometimes I wish their demands would come thru so they would learn.
Trinidad learn you know…..they learn well from that mistake……how stupid of them to turn down USD$80 million in foreign currency per year that Sandals would have brought in thanks to those Coolie red neck politicians and influencers who are the very same ones complaining today…….when COvid hit and there was a downturn they felt it because they never had a strong tourism sector only dependent on oil revenue…….now Guyana pumping oil and I read Jamaica had a discovery , but in their case they are already tourist base so they will benefit even more.