Canlink's Elaine & Brent Carnegie with Janelle Hopkin of Spice Island Beach Resort
New Wave Travel's Margaret Pagliarulo & Ray Surette
Cheryl Dore-Samuel, The Professional Travel Place; Caribbean Airlines' Nazie Mohammed; and Zubida Aziz of Handa Travel
Marlin Travel's Linda Josimovic & Shannon Coyle, New Wave Travel
Carmelina Pirrocco-Crawford, Halton Trafalgar Travel with Erica Tu of Love Tu Travel, TTI Canada
After closing its doors for less than a month, Grenada’s Spice Island Beach Resort reopened last fall to reveal a $1.5 million refurbishment. Janelle Hopkin, the hotel’s Director, was in town last week and unveiled the updates to a small group of their travel agent partners at Yorkville’s One Restaurant.
“Our unwavering commitment to the highest quality of service and accommodations drives us to push forward in order to keep our product ahead of contemporary trends,” said owner and Chairman Sir Royston O. Hopkin, who also happens to be Janelle’s father. Most of the property’s public spaces were redesigned including the courtyard, lobby, restaurants, the residence lounge, The Sea & Surf Terrace and spa. The resort’s guestrooms were also updated.
According to Janelle, the property underwent a re-imagination. “I would describe Spice as understated luxury, an elegant boutique hotel with a family oriented feel.”
Family oriented indeed! The entire Hopkin family works at the resort, with an extremely hands-on approach. Guests are usually greeted upon check-in by Sir Royston himself – a gesture that makes a vacation experience at Spice Island Beach Resort unlike any other.
“It’s outside the box of a traditional all-inclusive experience,” said Shannon Coyle of New Wave Travel who often suggests the property to clients who are celebrating honeymoons or vow renewals. “Grenada has perfect weather, any time of the year. There’s plenty of history and culture, and it’s safe for guests who want to go off site to take advantage of the rest of the island. Spice Island is a bit of a hidden gem, so clients would definitely want to talk to someone qualified when inquiring about this property.”
It seems as though most people follow Coyle’s advice. According to Janelle, the majority of their bookings come through their tour operator partners, while only a small percentage come direct through consumers. 40-50% is repeat clientele.
Something to keep in mind, Canlink is the Spice Island Beach Resort’s Canadian representative. “If you ever require support or assistance to close the sale, please let us know,” said Elaine Carnegie, Canlink President.
“We have loyal agents who have done a lot of work with us in promoting the resort,” said Brent Carnegie, V.P. of Canlink. “We want them to know that Spice Island Beach Resort appreciates the business.”
