The Antigua Hotels and Tourism Association held its annual Tourism Awards Gala at the Sandals Resort on Saturday night under the ‘Mirror Ball Gala: A night to reflect and Shine’.
The occasion was a night to celebrate those persons in the hotels sector whose exemplary service and dedication to duty gained them recognition by their peers.
ABHTA’s Chairman, Craig Marshall said the association has made a commitment to invest in employees in the hotel sector as they are the backbone of the industry.
“We invested in stronger collaboration, working closely with government, unions, training partners, and the private sector. And in true Caribbean fashion, our meetings were honest, passionate, sometimes spirited — but always geared toward strengthening the industry we all love.
“We invested in fairness, standards, and opportunity, pushing forward conversations that protect workers, elevate guest experiences, and build a sustainable future for our sector,” he observed.
Chief Executive Officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C. James, reflected on the theme noting that when each person shines in his/her own way, collectively that lights up the entire room and as tourism professionals this lights up the entire industry. He added that both the ABTA and the Ministry of Tourism have developed strong ties with the hotels sector and the wider private sector.
“Our tripartite partnership is one of the greatest strengths of Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism success. We share one vision, one mission, and as the saying goes, “If you want to go far, go together.” And tonight, we are celebrating how far we’ve gone together,” he remarked.
During the ceremony, 82 persons in the hotels and ancillary sectors were singled out for special recognition for outstanding performances in their respective areas.
In the winners’ circle; there were thirteen nominees for Employee of the Year. The top three finalists were Albev Wade of Blue Waters Hotel, Tevin Johnnie of Keyonna Beach Resort and Joyette Pigott of Siboney Beach Club. Albev Wade was named overall winner.
For Supervisor of the Year, there were fourteen nominees with the three finalists; Tamolla Joseph of Curtain Bluff Antigua, Sophia Welch of Mill Reef Club and Michelle Martin of Sandals Grande Antigua. Sophia Welch was named the winner of this category.
The Rising Star category saw nine nominees with the three finalists; Khari Shaw of Mill Reef Club, Shemaiah Gordon of Royalton Antigua and Masadie Isaac of Sandals Grande Antigua. Shemaiah Gordon was named the winner.
The Young Hotelier of the Year category had six nominees with three finalists; Gishawn Whyte of Royalton Antigua, Leon Norville of Sandals Grande and Careena Eastwood of Trade Winds Hotel. Leon Norville was named winner.
The Young Chef of the Year category had eight nominees with the top three being; Kahendi Jackson of Hermitage Bay, Unique Roberts of Jumby Bay Resort and Jaleel Edwards of Sandals Grande Antigua. Kahendi Jackson was named the winner.
Chef of the Year had six nominees with Jean-Pierre Tuitt of Jumby Bay Resort named the overall winner.
For Customer Service Excellence there were thirteen nominees with the top three; Solange Benta of Hermitage Bay, Sandy Ransaran of Sandals Grande and Que Brathwaite of Siboney Beach Club. Sandy Ramsaran was named winner.
For Port Frontline Employee of the Year Jahlyn Turner of the Department of Immigration was named overall winner.
In the category, Tour Guide of the Year, Philbert John Baptiste was named the winner.
Ian Richards won the award for Transportation Service Provider of the Year, while @Antigua_inside_out won for Social Media Excellence.
During the ceremony, Former ABHTA Chairman, the late Alex De Brito was posthumously presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. His family collected this award.
