Aruba: One Happy Island
People come to Aruba for the same reason they go anywhere else in the Caribbean, right? Sun, Sea, Sand? Yes and no. Although our natural resources play a role in our guests initial decision making process, it is not the only reason they choose Aruba. The island’s geographical location, island wide acceptance of US dollars and mayor credit card companies, the ease of communication in English, Dutch and Spanish and the overall safety of the island are all contributing factors for our guests when they choose to visit us. The additional factor we sometimes overlook, because it seems normal to us, is the human factor.
Known as the One Happy Island, clearly our people, our human resources influence the decision not for the initial trip, but for the following visits to Aruba, in some cases every few years, in other cases every year and sometimes even more than once a year.
Last year we sent an email to our repeat guests, asking them among other things what were the 2 things they thought about when thinking about Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort and what they liked most about the property. 32.03% of respondents mentioned our staff among the 2 things they thought about when they think about the Amsterdam Manor and 37.25% of respondents mentioned our staff as part of what they liked the most about the property. Just like many resorts on island, our guests stay in touch with their favorite bar tenders, room attendants and front desk associates and over the years they create a relationship with them and they become part of their Aruba family.
Given the importance of our people, it is not only vital to provide excellent service to our guests but also for the daily operations of our property we acknowledge their efforts and celebrate them for being part of our Amsterdam Manor family.
Many hotels have staff members that have been with them for decades and there are even those who were there when their respective hotels opened. One of our current staff members has been with us before we even opened, as one of the contractors who built our property in 1989. In 1990, Marcelino ‘Chelin’ Jacobs started officially working at the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort as a team member of the Maintenance Department. Today, 29 years later, we can proudly say that ‘Chelin’, with his hard work and creativity are still part of our family here at the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort. He is always ready to teach others all he knows and is the one we go to for our holiday decorations. Many guests may not know him because he doesn’t work directly with them, but they do see and compliment his work.
Two staff members who on the other hand work directly with guests at the Front Desk and have become friends of their guests are Maria Christina ‘Christy’ van Ginneken and Julio Cesar Ramirez who have been with us for 28 years and 27 years respectively. Although in the last few years Christy is mostly working the Front Desk at our sister property MVC Eagle Beach, she still maintains relationships with all our repeat guests at the Amsterdam Manor and at MVC Eagle Beach and shows the love for her job every single day. Julio’s natural charm and energy make our guests feel right at home when they arrive. Beware, his laughter is contagious!
These fine human beings are just a few staring examples of what truly makes this the One Happy Island.