BASSETERRE, St. Kitts –The St. Kitts Marriott Resort celebrated its first annual Associate of the Year Awards last evening (Mar. 20) by acknowledging outstanding employees for excellence in service throughout 2008.
Each of the categories Heart of the House and Front of the House had 12 nominees for Associate of the Year, one chosen from each month in 2008. Inon Nias was chosen as Associate of the Year for that division, having been with the resort for just over one year but making an impression on all with his “friendly smile and gentle spirit”.
In the other category, Front of the House, Dameon Lawrence was announced Associate of the Year, marking a shining record during his four and a half years of service. According to Director of Human Resource and organizer of the ceremony, Lisa Parker, Lawrence left his mark of “tremendous amount of commitment to his position and interacted well with both fellow associates and guests alike”.
The other two groups of Supervisors and Managers had only four nominees each for the annual award as individuals in these categories were nominated on a quarterly basis. However, in the Supervisors Division, there was similar suspense as nominees Carmen Henry, Olivine Henry, Floiverly Herbert and Soma Persaud anxiously awaited the results. Persaud was announced Supervisor of the year and won an all-expense paid three-night stay in Marriott, San Juan and a gift of US $500 as spending money.
She received the award for “showing commitment to being involved in training associates and does well at coaching the staff”. Persaud, who began as a front desk agent was awarded Most Professional Associate in 2007 and later received the Marriott Spirit to Serve Award.
In the Manager’s Division, Evelyn Roberts, Janelle Browne, Sushanto Shenai and Robin Richmond performed exceptionally well in 2008 and were nominated for Manager of the Year Award. After much suspense, Richmond was announced Manager of the Year for her extraordinary ability to “lead during tough times”. Richmond had been known to be able to work with different personalities at all levels and was always able to get the task done even with a small amount of resources.
Richmond received a five-day all-inclusive stay at Frenchman’s Reef Marriott, St. Thomas and a monetary gift amounting to US $750.
Parker told SKNVibes that the Awards Ceremony was necessary as the hotel strongly believes in acknowledging and appreciating individuals who work diligently and show exceptional leadership in their respective areas.
“It symbolizes the true excellence of our staff. They have been nominated by peers, managers and an executive committee for the great work that they do every day. They go above and beyond for other associates and for guests and for that, we wish to recognize them as we move the hotel forward.
“The core value of Marriott International is to motivate and continue to encourage our staff to maximize productivity and a high level of service. As we take care of our associates, they take care of our guests and that ensures that our guests keep coming back.”
Management of the resort intends to continue this initiative as it continues to empower its human resources to enhance the overall service at the hotel.
