Caribbean News
Grenada’s Leo Garbutt named 2020 hotelier of the year
#THE BAHAMAS – The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has named respected Grenada hotelier Leo Garbutt 2020 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year.
The owner of Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel in Grenada received the coveted honor during the opening of Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Nassau last night as recognition of his exceptional contributions to Grenada and the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry over the past 30 years.
“We all know that 2020 vision is perfect and at this moment this is a perfect moment in my life,” said an emotional Garbutt upon receiving the coveted award. The hotelier thanked CHTA, previously awarded hoteliers of the year, the people of Grenada, his wife and his family for their support.
Frank Comito, CHTA’s CEO and Director General, described Garbutt as “an adept, self-taught entrepreneur, whose love of his hotel, his adopted island and the Caribbean drove him to master the intricacies of the industry in our region.”
Garbutt began his hotel career by chance when a delayed flight to his native United Kingdom landed him in the Calabash Hotel in 1986. That led him to fall in love with the island and the hotel. “We all know that love makes people do strange things and despite a complete lack of experience in the hospitality business he and his wife bought what was then a 22-room hotel and built it into today’s 30-suite world-class award-winning luxury resort and spa,” said Comito. “As they say Amor Vincit Omnia – love conquers all!”
Garbutt’s commitment to excellence has seen the continuous improvement of his hotel product and service over the years. TripAdvisor now ranks Calabash the top luxury hotel in the Caribbean. A member of the coveted Virtuoso and Fine Hotels & Resorts programs as well as the prestigious Relais & Châteaux group, Calabash’s worldwide recognition has significantly raised Grenada’s international profile as a top-class tourist destination.
Leo Garbutt’s love for Grenada and the tourism industry grew as he invested his time and treasure into the property, and he and his staff have made significant contributions to the community. Now Second Vice President of the Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association, over the years he has pushed many initiatives to promote sustainable tourism, notably including the recent national ban on Styrofoam and single use plastics.
Calabash is strongly committed to the community and the staff are 100 percent Grenadian. Dedicated to looking after their island and community, the family supports early childhood education through Grenada Schools Inc and the island’s children’s homes through Pack for a Purpose, with donations to The Bel Air Children’s Home, The Dorothy Hopkin Centre for the Disabled, The Queen Elizabeth Home for Children and Programme for Adolescent Mothers.
His daughters Adele and Beth and niece Hannah work alongside Garbutt to maintain and add sparkle to his five-star offering. The team works tirelessly to treat staff and guests as if they were extended members of Garbutt’s family, making Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel their home away from home.
Produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, this year’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace host sponsors are the Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, Baha Mar, and Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, while Platinum sponsors include ADARA; AMResorts; Figment Design; Interval International; Marketplace Excellence; Mastercard; STR; TravelClick, an Amadeus company; Travelzoo; U.S. Virgin Islands; and HM&B.
Gold sponsors are American Airlines, Best Western International, Caribbean Airlines, Caribbean Travel + Life powered by Islands, Caribbean Wellness & Education, HCP Media, playAWARDS, Questex Travel Group (Travel Agent and Luxury Travel Advisor), Questex Travel & Meetings Events, Sojern, Symova, Travel Relations LLC, and TravPRO Mobile.
Silver sponsors are 7 Pillars Marketing on Demand; Arrivalist; BCV, a Rategain Company; Caribbean Journal; Condé Nast; Copa Airlines; Gamemasters Escape Solutions; interCaribbean Airways; Mitel; Northstar Travel Group; Pegasus; Saint Lucia Tourism Authority; SiteMinder; St. Martin / St. Maarten Tourist Office; Travel + Leisure | Blue Group Media; and TripAdvisor.
PRESS RELEASE: CARIBBEAN HOTEL & TOURISM ASSOCIATION
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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