Sandals Royal Bahamian: Where The Hoi Polloi Get The Royal Treatment

with Nina Slawek

A gaggle of us trade media followed a white gloved butler through the corridors of the one time domain of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor. Pictures of the infamous Wallace Simpson adorn the walls of the piano bar, an enormous 1940’s Baccarat crystal chandelier hangs in the dining room and while we gawk at its splendour, songstress Norma Ash belts out the lyrics of the once forbidden love song: “It was love, love alone caused King Edward to leave the throne.”

Ah yes, love. According to Sandals’ slogan, it’s the only thing customers need to bring to the resort. And from the looks of things around the pool, there was plenty of it in the air. Couples of all shapes and sizes were soaking up the laid back atmosphere and curteous service.

The people of the Bahamas are naturally friendly, so staffing a Sandals resort with welcoming employees is likely the easy part. But the royal treatment at the Sandals Royal Bahamian & Offshore Island demands more than friendliness from the staff, it reaches for service ‘above and beyond’.

Without a doubt, the Chairman, Mr. Butch Stewart, inspires excellence in one and all. His goal is to overdeliver at every occasion – because, he says, “it’s good for business.” The man is a consumate marketer. “If you underwhelm the customer, they won’t come back. It’s that simple.”

So, during a global recession, when most travel companies were pulling back, the Chairman of the Board invested $20 million in gutting and refurbishing the original manor building at the Royal Bahamian resort and Off Island.

It’s the official opening of the new tower that brought trade media and Bahamian dignitaries to the resort this week. The ribbon cutting was officiated by the Hon. Vanderpool-Wallace Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Sandals Chairman Gordon Butch Stewart, Sandals CEO Adam Stewart and Frank Comito, Vice President of the Bahamas Hotel Association.

There are 404 rooms at the resort in 23 different categories. I lost track after the 4th, but the bottom line is, it all depends on the view. The better the eye candy – the more you pay. The other price factor depends on whether you would like a U.K. style butler, certified by the English Butler Guild, to draw your bath or lay out your evening clothes.

Does the product deliver? I asked Margaret and Brian from Kelowna, first time Sandals clients, what they thought of the place. Margaret said, “We’ve been to all-inclusives all over the Caribbean, and this is by far the best. The view, the location, the private island, we just love it. Everyone greets you with a smile. This place is just terrific.” The couple told me they are already planning their next Sandals stay in Antigua, but haven’t booked it yet because they want their travel agent to handle it. “We always work with Valerie Roger at TriStar Travel. She is wonderful and we’ve followed her wherever she’s been.”

It’s what Butch Steward calls a “bullet proof product” – one that travel agents can sell blind. Although certainly not dumb. Sandals invests heavily in travel agents – in training, in marketing materials and in sales support. According to Gary Sadler, Senior V.P. Sales, Sandals pricing policies protect agents from competitive discounting. He added that, “At Sandals, we never stop spending on travel agents. Even during the worst economic downturn, we upped the marketing dollars to drive the business to travel agencies and we chartered planes for 25 mega FAMs.”

Sandals also invests heavily in training employees. At a press conference, CEO Adam Stewart announced that Sandals Resorts International (SRI) is to invest US$5 million over the next five years in its Sandals Corporate University. Team members will be able to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in a number of areas of hospitality management.

As a first time Sandals guest, I was impressed with the ability of the company to deliver on the promise of excellence. When you are successfully operating the Caribbean’s largest luxury resort line, you obviously know what you are doing.