By L.K. Hewlett
St. Kitts Reporter
William Vastbinder Garcia is confident that he can restore the hotel formerly called Jack Tar to its past state of grandeur and renown.
Now called the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino, the once premier hotel on the island, is set to reopen in November after being closed for a little over four years.
The new general manager is no stranger to St. Kitts or the hotel business, having spent several years with Jack Tar St. Kitts as the food and beverage manager followed by stints as general manager in the hotel’s other chains including Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
“I was opening a Best Western hotel in Curacao when I got a call from the owners of this hotel saying they were reopening the hotel here and wanted me to run it, considering then facts that I know the business, I know this hotel and I know St. Kitts. I immediately said yes because I had a great time when I was here before, it’s a beautiful island with beautiful people. I arrived back six weeks ago and saw immediately what had to be done,” Garcia told The Observer.
The hotel manager said getting well-trained staff was high on his list of priorities, considering the level of competition in the market. He therefore plans to offer top-notch service to his guests.
“There are lots of hotels locally, regionally and internationally and we have to compete with all of them. We will offer the best in service with well-trained staff that act professionally. Another aspect that we will be focusing on heavily is cuisine. Most hotel rooms are very similar and quite a few have friendly staff, but quite often you here people complain about the food at the hotels.
“We intend to offer a wide selection of foods, from both international and local cuisine. Visitors always enjoy sampling local food, it gives them a little taste of the country and they can get their regular steaks etcetera also. I brought back Alex Huggins, who is probably the best chef on St. Kitts and together we will make it happen,” Garcia said.
The lavish 280-room hotel will offer all the usual amenities associated with an all-inclusive resort including four restaurants, gymnasium with sauna, four bars and two sparkling and inviting swimming pools. The hotel also has a courtyard for entertainment, which it plans to provide nightly and a spacious conference room.
Garcia explained that renovations were running on schedule, with some of the rooms already operational and occupied.
“There are 120 rooms that are fully functional and some are occupied at the moment. We run a skeletal staff in the short term but plan to recruit a full staff late in September so that they can receive training before the grand opening. Right now we are looking for a front desk manager and chief engineer. We have upgraded the rooms and added amenities like wireless Internet. The old concept that was in place before the hotel closed was quite successful so what we plan to do is improve on what we already have.
He mentioned the casino that occupied a large space on the ground floor of the hotel, saying it too was already partially open. Garcia said he knew he faced direct competition from his closest business neighbour, the Marriott Hotel but expressed confidence about his establishment re-emerging as the top local hotel.
“I think we have a winning combination and a few things that will set us apart from the rest. This hotel is not a beachfront property but there are two beaches just across the street. Guests will also have access to the golf course. We will of course have our chartered flights both for the casino and hotel. This is a luxurious hotel and when the refurbishment is complete in November, I have no doubt that we will reclaim our spot at the top of this industry,” he said.
Garcia said the St. Kitts hotel industry needed to work together as was the case in other territories. He suggested that hotel owners meet on a regular basis to strategise on how to overcome common obstacles and improve such aspects as marketing. He added that Kittitians played a very important role in their country’s tourism development and should not spread negativity; they should instead be positive and proud about their beautiful island.
