No.11 - August 27th, 2008

 

In this edition
Eustace Potter
 
Monday 1st September
 
Hermitage Bay Chef wins Competition
 
Safety and Security Audit
 
New format for Stanford Antigua Sailing Week
 
Moonlight street Fair & Bartenders Competition
 
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New Members August 2008
 
Hemmingways Restaurant,
St John's
 
Jolly Harbour Realty
 
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On the Move
 
Martin Scott is no longer General Manager at Sunsail. A new Manager is expected before the reopening in October.
 
Bill Hoffman is no longer General Manager at Grand Royal Antiguan.
 
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Hotel closures Summer 2008
Sunsail Colonna - May - October 17th
Jumby Bay - June 6th - 2009
Carlisle Bay - August 30th - October 10th
Curtain Bluff - August 23rd - November 1st
Admiral's Inn - August 12th - October 18th
Galleon Beach - May 31st -
Long Bay - May 6th - November 1st
Hermitage Bay - September 1st - October 6th
The Inn - May 1st - November 1st
Blue Heron by rex resorts -
August 5th - December 5th
LightHouse Bay Resort 
1st Sept - 25th October
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Average Hotel occupancies 2008
 
January - 74.1%
February - 81.1%
March - 72.7%
April - 72.4%
May - 63.7%
June - 57.3%
July - 58.2%
 
For more detailed information
click here
 
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 Upcoming Events
 
September AHTA Members Luncheon
- 11th September
 
Moonlight Street Fair
Lower St Mary's Street
- 13th September
 
1st Annual Francis Nunes Jr. Memorial Fishing Tournament and Seafood Festival 
Catamaran Marina, 
-27th September
 
Marriott St Kitts
- 1st - 3rd October
 
Antigua Literary Festival
Jolly Beach Resort
- 7th-9th November
 
World Travel Market
                
 - 10th - 13th November
 
 

Multi Purpose Centre
- 29th November
 
Saint Lucia
- 18 - 20th January
 
Antigua Culinary Festival
- 27th - 29th March 2009
 
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is at your service to help you fill those vacant positions. At no cost we will post any vacant positions to the website.
 
Just send in the details to the AHTA Office
Welcome to the  Newsletter of the Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association.

Eustace Potter

It is with great sadness that we are announcing the passing of Mr. Eustace Potter. Born October 31st, 1945 and died August 17th, 2008. He was the proprietor of The Ocean Inn located in English Harbour, Antigua.
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The Ocean Inn was first opened in 1998 and has grown to be the perfect place for a quiet, relaxing retreat. Eustace always tried to ensure that his guests were comfortable and happy. He was a member of the Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association. He was also the first Chairman of V.I.P Group, (Very Intimate Places) and had continued his role as an active and vocal member. His children Kirk, Robert and Bronté Potter will continue to work along with the staff of Ocean Inn to keep his establishment open.

His funeral will be on August 29th, 2008 at 3 p.m. at the St. Paul’s, Anglican Church in Falmouth. Eustace will be missed for his upbeat and jovial manner. May his soul rest in eternal and lasting peace. 
 Monday 1st September
Monday 1st September has been declared a half day Public Holiday for prayer against crime. The Public Holiday officially commences at 12 midday. All employees working after 12 midday will be paid as per the Collective Agreement, that is 2 1/2 times basic pay.
Hermitage Bay's Executive Chef wins at U.S. Meat Export Federation's 8th International Foodservice Competition
 

Hermitage Bay is very proud to announce that its Executive Chef, Verman “Dezi” Banhan, was one of the overall winners of the 8th International Foodservice Competition (2008) for the Caribbean, organised by the USMEF (US Meat Export Federation).

The competition started out with over 400 entries from chefs across the Caribbean and Mexico. Mr Banhan was one of twenty-four top chefs selected to attend a culinary trip to Mexico City from 4 to 8 August 2008. Mr Banhan, originally from Jamaica, was one of only two chefs chosen from Antigua. During this culinary trip the top chefs participated in a further competition, which Mr Banhan won with his recipe - Appleton, Soy & Ginger Roast Pork Sirloin with Tomato & Raisin Chutney and Green Herb & Chili Oil. There were six winners from the Caribbean, who will now go on to New York and Napa Valley, California, for their prizes. The winning recipes will be printed in a book by the USMEF. Mr Banhan has won numerous competitions at national food shows in Jamaica. He joined the team at Hermitage Bay two years ago and won the AHTA’s Tourism Award for Chef of the Year 2007 earlier this year. Mr Banhan’s menus reflect eclectic cuisine, using the highest quality Local ingredients. His emphasis is on presenting visually attractive and mouthwatering meals, ultimately offering our guests the best food Antigua has to offer.
Safety and Security Audits
 
All forty-five registered hotel properties in Antigua and Barbuda will be subject to a safety and security assessment, as early as next month..

This development comes as a result of a decision by the Ministry of Tourism to form a top-level Security and Safety Task Force to conduct an audit on all existing tourism accommodations in Antigua and Barbuda, after a recent security breach at one of the island’s hotel properties. The forty-five properties will be inspected based on a comprehensive safety and security checklist.

The checklist has been created with inputs from the taskforce, chaired by Director General of Tourism Corthwright Marshall and consisting of members from the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, the Fire Department, the National Office of Disaster Services, Central Board of Health, Office of National Drug Control Policy, EMS, the Development Control Authority, the Antigua Hotel and Tourist Association and the Ministry of Tourism.

“Following the review of the hotel accommodations, the task force will make specific recommendations to the individual properties and call for certain actions that hotels can take to improve on the general safety and security of their guests”, said the Director General of Tourism. “Minimum guidelines, by which future hotel developments will be required to adhere to before operation, will also be set.

Completion of the audit is of priority to the Ministry of Tourism and to ensure the timely finish of the audit, the island has been divided into three zones with three teams designated to visit the hotels within those zones. The audit is being supervised by Captain Pennyfeather of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence force.
Upon completion of the security audit at these hotels an audit of other properties frequented by visitors such as guest houses and condos will be done.
 
The audits are expected to commence from 1st September.
New Format for Stanford Antigua Sailing Week
 
 
The Stanford Antigua Sailing Week continues to attract the top racing boats from around the world to the Caribbean to compete for the prestigious Lord Nelson’s Trophy. Following on from a successful 2008 edition a new Race Committee was appointed to review the event and chart the way forward. The outcome is an exciting new format for 2009 that should appeal to all competitors of the Stanford Antigua Sailing Week from the bareboat charterer to the maxi yacht skipper.

The 2009 edition will sail off a day earlier for the racing and cruising fleets on Saturday April 25th rather than the traditional Sunday start. There will then follow full 5 days of racing to culminate on Thursday April 30th. The bareboat fleet will start their regatta on Sunday finishing on Friday. Both divisions will race 6 days rather than the previous 5 days.

The regatta for the racing boats will comprise a challenging combination of short inshore and longer off shore races giving all a chance to excel. The traditional Round the Island Race for the “Yachting World Trophy” will now be completed in one day rather than the traditional two. Redonda an island dependency of Antigua and Barbuda situated 40 miles offshore will once again see racing boats encircling its rocky coast line as the “Round Redonda Race” is reintroduced after many many years. With three distance races, the prologue “Guadeloupe to Antigua Race”, the “Round the Island Race and the “Round Redonda Race”, the organizers will be creating a regatta within the regatta with the “Antigua Ocean Series”. Special prizes and records will be established for each of these three races and an overall prize. Larger yachts not wanting to compete in the shorter inshore races will be allowed to enter the Ocean Series and compete for these prestigious trophies. Antigua is throwing out a challenge to the world’s top maxis to be the first to establish records for these two new races.

Both the racing Division A and the Cruising/bareboats Division B will race on new inshore courses around the southern and western coastlines of the picturesque island of Antigua. The constant tradewinds and the turquoise seas of the Caribbean guarantee some of the best sailing conditions in the world.

Stanford Antigua Sailing Week 25th April to May 2nd 2009

 

 
Moonlight Street Fair  & Bartenders Competition
On 13th September, Lower Saint Mary’s Street will be the scene of the Moonlight Literary Street Fair, where winners of the recent contest to write a new ending chapter for Antiguan author Joanne Hillhouse’s book, “Dancing Nude in the Moonlight,” will read their entries. In addition, the fair, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will feature live music, dance demonstrations and poetry readings.
 
As part of the celebrations there will be a bartenders' competition. Bartenders are asked to create an exciting cocktail using local and/ or Spanish products to be called "Dancing Nude" or "Moonlight". The "Nude" drink should be with alcohol whereas  "Moonlight" should be without.
 
The winning drink will be declared the "Official Drink of the Antigua Literary Festival" to be held at the Jolly Beach Resort from November 7th - 9th.
Interested persons should contact Rita James at: ritajames13@hotmail.com 
    
 

 

Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association
PO Box 454, Island House, Newgate Street
St John's
Antigua
 E-mail: neil@antiguahotels.org
http://www.antiguahotels.org