fbpx

Google Maps discovers St. John

Map_3
Finally!  Google Maps includes the Virgin Islands.  You won’t
find Google much help in scoping out hiking trails, but it is a great
assist in figuring out where your rental villa is.  For an example, click here to see where our villa, Blue Tang, is. The Westin Resort is at Great Cruz Bay.

Google Maps is also useful to identify the various bays and
sightseeing spots like the Anneberg ruins.  It’s been a long time coming, for Google to include St. John … let’s be happy.

Holiday season looks strong

Two of the territory’s largest resorts have been closed this fall,
which is benefiting other hotels, condos and villas, according to the
V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association.  Beverly Nicholson told the St. John Source  that the Ritz-Carlton on St. Thomas is closed for refurbishment and the Westin St. John is converting some hotel rooms to timeshares.  "We saw unprecedented
demand in September," she said, adding the rate was 8% higher than last
September. 

Nine condos at Coconut Coast Villas on St. John are full for Christmas, Jon Schutt
told the newspaper.  "But Thanksgiving is only 75%."  The tourism group
said it conducted a survey of expected occupancy rates for the last
three months of the year.  It found quite a range: one property on St. Croix reports
27% while a St. John operator expects 91%.

Villa owner sick of rude guests

A comment by an angry and frustrated owner of a rental villa on St. John has generated more than a dozen responses at  at USVI On-Line, most from people who say that when they rent villas they try to leave them better than when the found them.

But the self-described owner of a $10,000/week property hasn’t seen too many of those kinds of guests.  "I’ve had things stolen over the years that you wouldn’t believe
including magnets, knick knacks, artwork, books and even an area rug!,"
he/she wrote.
"Would they treat their friends’ homes this way? Would they sit on nice
furniture while wet from the pool? Would they help themselves to any
expensive coffee table books that tickle their fancy? Would they bleach
all the guest towels with face cream and then claim it wasn’t them when
asked? Would they leave the stereo in the rain and then pretend they
didn’t?"

Replies have been sympathetic. "My wife insists on making the place better: scrubbing counter tops, shaking rugs, washing sheets and towels (refolding them, too), often buying small things to add to the owners’ collection of things,’ wrote "Dave." 

While one commenter seemed to doubt the veracity of the complaint, another said, "I, too, am sorry you’ve had some poopy guests, but doesn’t that sort of come with the territory?" Most other posts were on the side of the villa owner.  One said, "We certainly respect all of your furnishing and property and we are extremely grateful that you share your lovely homes with us."

Maho recycling yields $250K

Maho_1
Maho Bay Camps
"Trash to Treasures" program is generating a quarter million dollars in sales, according to Stanley Selengut, the pioneering ecotourism developer.  In an article about "green" resorts, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
quoted Selengut saying proceeds from the efforts to turn much of the
resort’s glass and aluminum into craft items and fine arts supports the
resort’s conservation programs.  While Maho’s commitment to the
environment draws many of its 20,000 visitors a year, Selengut said,
"Others stay with bus because of our stunning location and may not even
be aware of the philosophies behind our operations."  The resort
emphasizes the use of recycled building materials such as "plastic
lumber" and glass tiles, the newspaper reported.  Wooden walkways above
the ground prevent erosion, reducing runoff which can harm the beach
and coral.  Selengut defined ecotourism, saying it "tries to give
travelers a responsible peek at places off the beaten path."

Westin timeshares to start at $20,000/week

The Westin St. John Resort and Villas plan to convert about 186 hotel rooms to 94 two- and three-bedroom vacation villas, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported as part of a story headlined, “Timeshares, conversions sweeping V.I.”  The Westin plans, reported earlier here, will leave the resort with just 100 regular hotel rooms.  An estimated 90 percent of the Westin’s current 93 timeshare villas have already been purchased.  Prices for a week in the new units, depending on the time of year and the number of bedrooms,  will range from $20,000 to n$100,000, the Daily News reported.

Hotel group begins training program

American Express is funding four sessions to train 200 tourism employees in a program called "Total Service: The USVI is Quality."  The classes are to be held during the latter part of this month.  "Our mission is to represent, protect, promote, and educate our … members who employ … over 8,000 industry professionals, " said Beverly Nicholson, president of the USVI Hotel Association.  The course focuses on staff who work with tourists: receptionists, bell hops, floor staff, food and drinks personnel, according to a report by Caribbean Net News.  The Taxi Association also expressed interest in a similar training program. (AMEN!)

WESTIN names new executive chef

(I got it wrong.  It’s the Westin, not Caneel.  here’s a Daily News story link, too.)

Roland Czekelius, who was a cook at Caneel Bay
in the ’80s, has returned to the island as the new executive chef at the Westin St. John Resort & Villas. He’s
been on the mainland for the past 25 years, including positions as top
chef at Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel, according to a report of his hiring in the Virgin Islands Daily News.  "A lot of the ladies who worked in the pantry and kitchen now work at the Westin,"
Czekelius said.  "I had to tell then, ‘Remember the little Austrian, 25
years ago?’  Then they were giving me hugs."  Czekelius said he wanted
to return to the Caribbean and interviewed for slots on Peter Island
and Turks and Caicos before taking the  CaneeloWestin position.  He expects to
rework the resort’s menus, adding more gourmet and
Mediterranean-inspired items, the Daily News said.

USVI Culinary team wins honors

The USVI team took home a bronze medal for its performance in the Taste of the Caribbean Cook-off at the recent Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference.
More than a dozen teams from islands competed.  The USVI team’s Steve
Potter received a gold medal as best bartender, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News and the team won a special citation for "Best Use of Bitters."

Pamela Richards, the VI Commissioner of Tourism,
attended the conference, along with about 1,000 other hospitality
industry executives, hotel suppliers, government officials and travel
writers.  Some attendees went shopping in the exhibit area.   The GM of
the Westin St. John was also on hand. A St. Croix hotel manager
said he was hoping to find a supplier of saltwater-resistant metal
umbrella poles.  (Villa owners may find this list of exhibitors of some interest.

Westin hosts VI Culinary team prep

The first meal cooked by members of the VI Culinary Team was a success, according to people who attended a fund raiser at the Westin to help finance the competitors’ entry in the annual Taste of the Caribbean later this month in Miami.  Team chefs included Andrew Power and Rodney Rightenburg of Caneel Bay, along with three other chefs from St. Thomas and St. Croix. They were selected by a cook off. 

Ingredients used in the "test" dinner at the Westin included hot whit chocolate, handmade marshmallows, banana leaf and local pumpkin.  "We’re making 30-some different items for 40 people," team captain Ric Ade said, according to a report of the event in the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Caneel to feature Nobu

Caneel Bay is about to boost its dining notoriety by adding Nobu to the menu. Culinary artists associated with the legendary international restaurateur Nobuyuki Matsuhisa will be in residence at Caneel Bay for one weekend, May 18-20. A news release from  Rosewood, which is in business with Nobu in other locations, said his team will have the freshest seafood in the world to work with, and will utilize the Turtle Bay Estate House kitchen to turn out many of Nobu signature dishes for a $180 prix fixe menu. The menu will include Yellowtail Jalapeno, Alaskan Black Cod, and Miso soup. More info at http://www.caneelbay.com/press_popup.cfm/id/506