Luxuriating in pristine condition at the southern end of Grenada’s world-famous Grand Anse beach, the Spice Island Beach Resort confidently and calmly exceeds the elite hospitality that discerning guests expect from a high-end boutique hotel.
In 2015 this family-owned resort has for the second year in succession won the Six Star Diamond Award by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, which honours excellence in high-quality hospitality through factors such as décor, gastronomy, attitude, cleanliness, and service. The hotel also came fourth in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of 2,558 top hotels across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Furthermore, at the end of 2014 this Grenadian gem, for the ninth year in a row, took the Gold Award from Virgin Holidays as the premier property in the tour operator’s exclusive worldwide Platinum Collection. The list of prestigious awards goes on and on, yet an investment of US$3 million in 2014, as part of an ongoing fine-tuning of the resort, is evidence that complacency is simply not entertained here.
BusinessGrenada magazine spoke with Chairman and Managing Director Sir Royston Hopkin KCMG, to learn more about this stunning resort and to gather some insights and inspiration that might guide others along the path to sustained excellence.
Providing a brief career biography for BusinessGrenada, Sir Royston Hopkin tells us that his parents opened the Ross Point Inn, near the northern end of the wonderful Grand Anse beach, in 1951 and so he grew up in the world of hospitality. His mother pioneered the practice of including locally grown produce in traditional dishes for the guests, thereby nurturing a distinct Grenadian cuisine. This practice has been continued by Sir Royston, who liaises with local farmers to ensure that the Spice Island Beach Resort’s high-class restaurant serves intensely flavoured Grenadian produce whenever possible. “I spend over US$1m a year buying products from Grenada. The full bill is skewed because a lot of expense is in imported meats and things like that”. He adds “all my appetisers, all my soups, all my salads, all my vegetables in my entrees are locally grown”.
Sir Royston served for 17 years on the Grenada Board of Tourism, from the tender age of 20, and says that he was “the youngest ever to serve”. He states that at the age of 22 he became the first vice-president of the Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association and two years later became its youngest president. Meanwhile, at only 25 he became the youngest director of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, where he rose to vice-president and in 1994-96 he was president. In 1991 he was awarded Caribbean Hotelier of the Year. For services to tourism in Grenada and the Caribbean he became a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in 1994; in 2004 he became a Knight Commander (KCMG).
Back in 1978, Royston, along with his brothers, Arnold and Gerald, bought what is now the three-star, 32-room Blue Horizons Garden Resort, located just over 200 metres away from Spice Island Beach Resort and is still run by his brother Arnold. Nine years later Sir Royston purchased a majority interest in the Spice Island Inn. In 1989 he became sole owner, chairman, and managing director of the property. He increased the number of rooms from 28 to 56 and in 1990 renamed the hotel as the Spice Island Beach Resort. In 2000 he invested US$6 million in dramatically upgrading the resort, 75 per cent of which was destroyed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. In 2005, after a further investment of US$12 million the 64-room resort resumed its path towards becoming Grenada’s premier boutique hotel.
Sir Royston is also a keen philanthropist and began the sponsoring of scholarships at the local Grand Anse RC School. He continues to provide financial assistance to the poorest children to help them buy books, or software, to enable and enhance their education. He is also involved with the Queen Elizabeth Home for children, which was founded by his grandfather.
Hopkin has two daughters and one son, all of whom work in managerial roles at the resort, under the guidance of himself and General Manager Brian Hardy. The resort employs 210 staff members and he points out that with “64 rooms on eight acres I am pushing more into the economy than any other hotel other than Sandals”.
He explains that “Grenada needs high-end development because high-end development yields higher salary scales, higher income for the country, and sustainability”. He states further that less space means less pollution, “and when I talk about pollution I’m talking about people pollution. You have a quality person who can relate to your kind of country. We need the right class of tourist in this country because tourism has to be for the net positive benefit of Grenadians”.
Sir Royston believes that the arrival of Sandals is very good for Grenada and its tourism industry. “I was invited by Butch Stewart, to his official opening, as his main speaker. He and I spoke about the positive benefits of Sandals being here. And he also said in front of everybody… that I’m the one who brought him here. I encouraged him to invest in Grenada. In a nutshell Sandals in Grenada is a win-win for all of us”.
He also believes eco tourism to be important “for the sustainability of tourism in Grenada”. He explains that “democracy has to be managed by people who are knowledgeable in the development process,” and adds that if eco tourism is “done to a proper master plan it could play a vital part of our tourism development strategy”.
Sir Royston says that the Grenada Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) “functions very well,” and that the ‘government is trying to put more teeth into GIDC, so they will be a one-stop shop. He adds that “I wouldn’t be where I am today without receiving concessions from the government”. He receives the tax-free concession to improve all the physical assets in the hotel, which is “available to any hotel”. He explains that when a hotel has bought furnishings it can then “buy all new furnishings every five years. It’s called the soft furnishings law,” adding that most hotels have to refurnish after eight years.
The Spice Island Beach Resort is, and always has been, very ecologically minded. “I have had solar (power) in my resort since 1987 and it heats all my water in every room,” says Sir Royston. However, this can prove to be costly because “a solar panel will go rusty after every five to eight years. Then you have to replace it. I’m on the sea!” Furthermore, the resort ensures its own supply of desalinated water, and Sir Royston explains that it is “the first hotel in Grenada to have a reverse osmosis plant. That was in 1988. So we never run out of water. We are as proficient as they come, because we are all aware of the high cost of electricity”. He continues: “I have energy-efficient bulbs in all my rooms. I am exploring alternative energy now, which is very costly,” and mentions that over the last couple of years he has “bought a lot of new air-conditioners with inverter technology where you burn a lot less energy. So I’m in that transformational phase”. He also mentions that “I’m the longest green-room certified hotel in Grenada,” and that he was chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism.
Among the 64 rooms of Spice Island Beach Resort, Sir Royston says that there are 34 cottages spread over 1,600 feet of beach and that he has no plans to add more rooms because “the moment you get beyond 64 rooms you are no longer boutique and you cater to a different type of market”. He adds that “the aim and future plans for this resort are just to make it better and better”. The hotel runs at an average annual occupancy rate of about 65%, of which over half are repeat guests, and rises to 92% in peak seasons.
All 64 suites are air-conditioned and come with five-star amenities including wi-fi, a large soaking tub, OLED smart televisions with cable, a DVD player, the softest Italian Frette bathrobes and linen, a mini-bar, iPod docking station, iron and ironing board, hairdryer, direct dial telephone, safe, coffee and tea facility, toaster, chaise longues, and a patio or balcony. Several suites even feature a private pool.
The resort also provides many facilities, such as a beachside gourmet restaurant for gastronomic indulgence and a well-provided terrace for light lunches, a well-stocked bar that serves drinks throughout the day, a central non-chlorinated swimming pool with swim-up whirlpool, a tennis court, an activity centre for children, and a duty- and tax-free boutique shop that sells a comprehensive range of designer clothing, swimwear, footwear, and other accessories. There is also an elite and recently redesigned 5,000sq ft , full-service spa, which enables guests to enjoy the restorative delights of relaxing massage aided by various locally grown plants and spices, such as aloe vera, nutmeg, local citrus and even a scintilating organic chocolate rub! For those who feel the need to maintain a sense of vigour there is a fitness centre featuring state-of-the-art gym equipment, as well as non-motorized water sports including snorkelling, Hobie Cats, and ocean kayaks.