SLHTA:
Marketing & Management Training

Background
Following a needs analysis, the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) identified a requirement amongst their members for improved skills in marketing their properties and managing staff and processes. These skills were particularly needed among small hotels, ranging up to 60-80 rooms.

Decision
SLHTA retained Capela for this training and teamed up with the Office of Public Sector Relations (OPSR), a public body, to gain access to public funding for 75% of the cost. The rest was to be paid directly by the hotels themselves and SLHTA. The quote was for a 4-day course specialising in marketing and management with an emphasis on customer service.

Recruitment
As soon as it was publicised by SLHTA, the course was over-subscribed. 20 places were originally allocated and in the end 25 delegates booked and paid.

Training
The training course commenced in February. 2 experienced travel industry tutors from Capela trained 25 delegates from all around St Lucia for 4 days.

The delegates worked hard, learnt a lot of very new material, and presented a marketing plan in groups on the final afternoon. All took away valuable lessons which will enable them to better serve their guests’ requirements, with a view to increasing repeat and referral business to their properties.

Delegate feedback
The feedback on the Capela delivery was overwhelmingly positive:
– Course content was rated 100% excellent/good
– Tuition was rated 91% excellent/good
– Overall impression rated 100% excellent/good

Conclusion
Highly successful, a great boost to small hotels in St Lucia just before the arrival of cricket fans from round the world for the ITT Cricket World Cup. The support of the SLHTA and OPSR was justified by the positive feedback from the programme.