Last year, Caribbean Journal launched the first-ever Caribbean Travel Awards to honor the hotels, destinations and people who help make Caribbean travel better. And we’re doing it again this year, looking at the region both from the perspective of the people who travel to the Caribbean and the impact the tourism industry has on this beautiful part of the world. Here are the Caribbean Travel Awards for 2015
Caribbean Destination of the Year – Barbados
It’s been a banner year for the island of Barbados, which has reported the region’s fastest-growing tourism arrivals in large part due to a creative, digital-friendly push in the US market and the results of a restructured tourism marketing entity. Barbados has seen a 14.5 percent improvement in tourist arrivals so far this year, buoyed by a whopping 27.9 percent improvement in arrivals from the US. That success, coupled with a wave of new hotel development that includes recently-opened Sandals Barbados and a major new Wyndham project, puts the island at the forefront of the region’s tourism sector. We’re proud to name Barbados the Caribbean Destination of the Year for 2015.
Caribbean Hotel of the Year – The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman
There are so many things that define a great hotel experience: the beach, the food, the rooms. And the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman has all of them — the magnificent Seven Mile Beach, some of the region’s finest restaurants, and luxurious accommodations. But what sets this hotel apart this year is the service— the best we’ve experienced at any hotel in the Caribbean in years. This hotel sets the standard for Caribbean hotel service — and we hope that it can be an example to the rest of the region, too.
Small Caribbean Hotel of the Year – Secret Bay, Dominica
It’s rather extraordinary what hotelier Gregor Nassief has managed to do with a handful of villas on a cliffside in Dominica. With an emphasis on some of the region’s most modern hotel design, mixed with authentic, kind service, Secret Bay has become one of the region’s sought-after hideaways, a place equally adventurous and relaxing.
New Hotel of the Year – Marriott Port-au-Prince, Haiti
In the Caribbean, the quality of the hotel is just as important as its impact on the community. In a region where tourism is the major economic engine, it’s crucial that hotel development be done in a way that enriches the people around it. That’s why the new Marriott in Haiti is so refreshing — this is a sustainable, environmentally-friendly, beautifully-designed property that values the people of Haiti as much as its guests.
All-Inclusive of the Year — Palm Island, Grenadines
If you read Caribbean Journal, you often find the name of this resort in our lists of great all-inclusives — and that’s not an accident. Our favorite all-inclusive for this year hearkens back to the golden age of Caribbean travel, when the things for which we wanted no limits weren’t rum punches (although you can find all you want here, too), but white sand and green hills and turquoise water. On those counts, this exotic private island seems to have no limits. This is an all-inclusive resort for people who love the Caribbean.
New All-Inclusive of the Year — Sandals Barbados
Sandals has been upping the ante on all-inclusive design for a number of years, something they made clear last year with the debut of the modern Sandals LaSource Grenada. And while they’ve continued that trend with the debut of the high-tech Sandals Barbados, what they’ve done here is even more extraordinary — taken what was a faded, ailing resort property and totally, utterly transformed it.
Caribbean Hotelier of the Year – Josef Forstmayr, Round HIll Hotel and Villas, Jamaica
There are great hotels and there enchanting hotels. The latter are the places that seem to appear out of a novel, the ones that create a magical environment. The unique places. At least that’s the way you feel at Jamaica’s perfect resort – Round Hill. And that’s in large part due to the vision of Josef Forstmayr, who has served as managing director of the property since 1989. Josef is a legend of Caribbean hospitality, and we’re proud to name him our Caribbean Hotelier of the Year for 2015.
Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year – Moses Kirkconnell
Much of the tourism infrastructure in the Cayman Islands is so good that you could be fooled into thinking it’s easy. But it’s thanks to sound management, and a genuine concern for the visitor experience. Cayman Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell, our Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year for 2015, has provided just that — from stewarding another very strong year of arrival growth to, more importantly, helping to launch the long-awaited redevelopment of Grand Cayman’s main airport.
Caribbean Tourism Director of the Year – Ronella Tjin Asjoe, Aruba
Tiny Aruba has grown into one of the heavyweights of the Caribbean tourism industry, a high-thinking tourism market that is often one or two steps ahead of much of the region when it comes to tourism promotion. That’s in large part to executives like Ronella Tjin Asjoe, who has helped steward another year of outstanding arrival growth (nearly 15 percent) and kept the destination’s brand fresh and creative.
Innovative Destination of the Year — Antigua and Barbuda
It’s always nice to see a Caribbean country thinking big — and that’s precisely what Antigua and Barbuda has been doing. The Eastern Caribbean country’s government has been pushing an agenda to become an economic powerhouse, and that’s extended to the tourism sector, where the destination (led by Tourism Minister Asot Michael) has signed a wave of new development projects (including one with Robert De Niro) and launched a series of concomitant green energy initiatives. But the party piece is the country’s new airport terminal, easily the most advanced in the Caribbean region, which launched earlier this year.
Up-and-Coming Destination of the Year — Grenada
It began with the debut of Sandals LaSource Grenada last year, when the Spice Isle got a major boost in marketing power and prestige. Now, with ever-increasing flights, most recently out of JetBlue, the charming, relaxed tri-island archipelago (including Petite Martinique and Carriacou, of course), is quietly carving a niche as an exotic getaway for seasoned Caribbean travelers and neophytes.
Caribbean Concierge of the Year — Jossell Louie Velazquez, Puerto Rico
The best concierges often operate undetected, facilitating and handling and reserving and making memorable moments without much acclaim. But concierges like Jossell Louie Velazquez deserve it. Velazquez, the Chef Concierge at the St Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico, is a throwback to the great hotel concierges of Europe, making a habit of turning the impossible request into the tangible result.
Caribbean Hotel Spa of the Year: The BodyHoliday, St Lucia
“Give us your body for a week and we’ll give you back your mind.” That’s the motto at this legendary all-inclusive wellness resort in St Lucia, a place that redefines the Caribbean spa experience. The hotel’s Wellness Centre is an exceptionally versatile but thorough spa with everything from a dedicated Skin Care Clinic to its famous Body Renaissance wellness journey.
Hotel Restaurant of the Year: Mi Casa by Jose Andres, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico
Set at the tony Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, this eatery by world-renowned Chef Jose Andres takes an inventive take on Spanish cuisine to the beach in Puerto Rico. Always mindful of his surroundings, Andres has create a menu that celebrates the best of both worlds: marrying the gastronomic science for which Spain has become famous with Puerto Rico’s playful, vibrant flavors, from churros made out of yucca to classic gazpacho.
Caribbean Hotel Chef of the Year: Jason Adams, Four Seasons Resort Nevis
You know a chef is committed to his craft when you find him on a dive boat grabbing lobsters out of the Caribbean Sea. Jason Adams, the executive chef at the Four Seasons Nevis, has expertly stewarded a wide-ranging culinary offering at the landmark Nevis resort, ensuring the highest quality international fare while also celebrating the tastes that make tiny Nevis so magical.
Caribbean Hotel Bar of the Year: Coco Bar, Hotel Bakoua, Martinique
A hotel bar can be great for so many reasons — an expert mixologist, a varied rum selection. But the Coco Bar at the Hotel Bakoua in Martinique is special for another reason — its location. Set on a dock extending out into the bay of Fort de France, this is a special, unforgettable bungalow-style bar that takes the traditional hotel bar and turns it on its head. And that is a wonderful thing.
Caribbean Hotel Bartender of the Year – Marv Cunningham, Atlantis, Bahamas
It’s been quite a year for Marv Cunningham, the bartender at the Aura nightclub at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. Over the summer, Cunningham took home the crown in the bartending competition at the Taste of the Caribbean competition in Miami, and now he adds another: Caribbean Hotel Bartender of the Year. The Bahamas has given us some of the region’s best cockails over the years, from the Bahama Mama to the Goombay Smash, but Cunningham takes a contemporary, fresh approach, using Bahamian flair to create inventive new drinks.
Caribbean Airline of the Year: Cayman Airways
Yes, it seems like a small thing — the free rum punch on every Cayman Airways flight. But in this bar-cart detail is something more significant: a message that passengers are more than just a ticket. Of course, Cayman’s national carrier is far more than a free rum punch: offering on-time, pleasant service to a host of destinations. It’s also one of the best ways to fly to Cuba, with an ever-growing network to that island.
Airline of the Year: JetBlue Airways
This is the second time JetBlue has won this award, and that’s for a reason: JetBlue is taking its brand of hospitable, affordable travel to the Caribbean, and in a big way. After major expansion in 2014, this year was no different, with new routes to destinations like Curacao, Turks and Caicos and Grenada, while adding Mint service on routes to Barbados and Aruba. Airlift is so incredibly important to the Caribbean, and JetBlue is certainly doing its part. For that, it should be celebrated.
Caribbean Airport of the Year – VC Bird International Airport, Antigua
There are so many airports in the Caribbean, big and small. And too often, the experience is less than satisfactory, from an unpleasant immigration team to simply bad design. That’s why the new VC Bird International Airport in Antigua is so refreshing — this was an attempt to create the clean, high-design airport you find in a European city, and they pulled it off. This is a great new Caribbean airport, and a message to the rest of the region, too.