Hendrickson
Eliza Francis, Contributor
KARL HENDRICKSON'S National Continental Corporation (NCC), a family company founded on baking and now involved in poultry production and processing, construction and hotel management is earmarked to take over the NDC-owned hotel plant in Vieux-Fort, St. Lucia, formerly leased to Club Med.
The Club Med group earlier this year joined several other hotels which decided to shut down their St. Lucia operations, leaving hundreds unemployed. Some of these resorts like the Palm Tree Hotel, Caribbees and Hyatt have since been bought by new management, reopened and renamed Bay Gardens Inn, Cara Suites and Sandals St. Lucian Grande Resort and Spa respectively.
Hendrickson's firm, which owns and manages the 440-room Sunset Beach Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, Jamaica, recently entered the hotel scene and is reportedly doing "quite well" with four middle market resorts.
"We have close to 900 rooms in Jamaica now," said Hendrickson, "and we hope to have another 300 next year.
The Jamaican entrepreneur who was present at the GIS hosted meeting along with the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism's Berthia Parle and the Tourist Board's Desmond Skeete, was full of praise for NDC's director Wayne Vitalis and chairman Michael Chastanet. At a similar meeting to announce plans to construct a Sandals Beaches at Vieux Fort's Bois Chadon last week, Vitalis said in light of the on-going changes at NDC, the two had taken it upon themselves to seek out investments that would benefit the tourism industry and the southern town.
For his part, Prime Minister and Vieux Fort parliamentary representative, Dr. Kenny Anthony, also congratulated the NDC chairman and director for their efforts in ensuring that the hotel, built along one of the longest stretches of beach in the south in 1970, remained in use for tourism.
He welcomed the Hendrickson family and the investment they would soon undertake. "In my time I have met many investors and listened to all kinds of proposals," said Dr Anthony, "but somehow, there is always a gut feeling about the potential investor, whether the investment will be realised or not. From the time I met you (Mr. Hendrickson), and visited the hotel in Jamaica I knew we had an investor who was sincere and understood the Caribbean environment and more than anything else understood business.
"And secondly, I had met an investor whom I could trust and with whom I could share a vision not only for the tourism industry in St Lucia but indeed for the future of business in the Caribbean."
Dr. Anthony then went on to express his gratitude to the Club Med chain for its commitment and generosity to the hotel employees. The firm, in announcing its decision to terminate its operation, had agreed to continue paying the workers salaries from the date of closure until October. The hotel traditionally opened only for six months each year.
The new hotel managers say, keeping in mind the substantial renovation which will be undertaken at the resort, the hotel may not open until late next year.
"The hotel was built at a time when room sizes and entertainment did not matter," said Hendrickson, "but now travellers" needs have changed, the industry has evolved and improvements must be made to the original plant."
Hendrickson added that Club Med's failure in St. Lucia may have resulted from the hotel's marketing strategy which targeted mainly French visitors. The entrepreneur said the hotel, which has not been given a name, will remain an all-inclusive but marketing will be expanded to include the United States, United Kingdom and Caribbean markets.
