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Playa group awards Jamaicans for helping businesses stay afloat

Published:Thursday | March 3, 2022 | 12:06 AM
Hilton Rose Hall Hotel and resorts’ General manager, Carol Burke (fourth right), presents a plaque to KML Enterprise’s Kameika Lewis (centre), while her brother and business partner, Kareem Lewis (second left), hold another part of the prize for being
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Hilton Rose Hall Hotel and resorts’ General manager, Carol Burke (fourth right), presents a plaque to KML Enterprise’s Kameika Lewis (centre), while her brother and business partner, Kareem Lewis (second left), hold another part of the prize for being Top Producer for the Playa Group. The presentation took place at the first ever Playa Hotels and Resorts Travel Agents Awards, at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel in Montego Bay, St James on Sunday night. Sharing the occasion are managers of all the Playa Group hotels.

WESTERN BUREAU:

JAMAICAN VISITORS and hospitality stakeholders were lauded for service, support, and resilience as the Playa Group of hotels and resorts paid homage to local travel agents for keeping their business alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visitors are generally the lifeblood of the tourism industry, but travel restrictions during the heights of the pandemic led to innovative approaches to reinvigorate the sector.

After the coronavirus outbreak reached Jamaica’s shores in March 2020, more than 130,000 jobs across all sectors were lost. But as the economy recovered, hotels have reopened and staff have returned.

With travel agents working to craft deals that were affordable and attractive to generate business, Carol Burke, general manager of Hilton Rose Hall, said her hotel felt compelled to show gratitude. This it did at Sunday night’s Playa Hotels and Resorts Travel Agents Awards inside the facility’s well-decorated ballroom.

“It was a hard year for us. We were able to survive because of each one of you in this room. Thank you, thank you! We truly appreciate what you did,” Burke said, eliciting rousing applause by the approximately 30 travel agencies represented.

“A lot of these travel agents were using Instagram, Twitter, and such. They were basically doing a lot of email blasts out to their clients, or finding new clients and using social media was definitely a great platform for them,” Burke said.

“They were doing these special promotions, whether it was stay at one, play at another, or just special price points that made it attractive for the Jamaicans to come and stay in the hotels,” she added.

GRATITUDE

The hotel GM also expressed thanks to patrons by highlighting the importance of their contribution.

“We have to be really thankful for the Jamaicans who supported the Playa resorts because they kept us going. There was just no two ways about it. If it wasn’t for the Jamaicans who were coming down, spending weekends, sometimes one night ... just a two-night,” said Burke.

The pandemic had been brutal to the Playa group, with business taking a nosedive at the Hilton Rose Hall, Hyatt Zilar, Hyatt Ziva, Jewel Grande, and Jewel Paradise Cove.

“Our normal clientele, which would have been the North Americans, British, and Canadians, dried up. The properties were suffering because we just did not have the guests,” Burke related.

“We had to lay off staff because we just did not have the occupancy. Then stay vacation started through the local travel agents and the Jamaicans really; they started it and they kept us going.”

The brother-sister-led KML Enterprises, headed by Kareem and Kameika Lewis, dominated the awards, winning Top Producer (overall) for the group, a cinch after being Top Producer for Hilton, Jewel Paradise Cove, Hyatt Zilara, and Hyatt Ziva, and runner-up for Jewel Grande.

In the Top Producer category, Leisure for Pleasure Holiday Tours was the runner-up, while Trafalgar Travel placed third.

RAFT OF PRIZES

Award winners were categorised top-three for the respective resorts, where a raft of prizes, ranging from a plaque to three- to five-day stays on any group property, plus a choice between group partners in Jamaica, Mexico or the Dominican Republic, were given as incentives.

Iconic Travel, Cheap Vacations, Island Trotters, Vacay Travel, P&S Events, Total Travel, Nova Events, Tour Pin Travel, Sterling Travel, and Seventh Heaven Jamaica Travel also numbered among the top three at individual resort locations.

Others such as Luxury Konnections, O’Tuesday, and Unlimited Connections also received honourable mentions.

Commenting on the overall Top Producer award, Kareem Lewis said: “Despite the fact that we know that we put in a lot of work, there are a lot of agencies out there that put in as much of the hard work that we did, so it’s just a tremendous feeling.”

His sister, Kameika, agreed, noting the local influence.

“It helped quite a lot because there were no overseas guests coming in. So they focused on the local market and the local market really came out and showed their support,” she said.