As part of its reopening, the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort has unveiled a new sales team to redirect the Resort’s strategic initiatives and reposition the property as a premier hotel in the Cayman Islands. Ms Nadia Stradling, Director of Sales, leads the team at the 307-room property, supported by Ms Jaime Anton, Conference Services Manager, and Mrs Elena Ford, Sales Manager.

Mr Chris Sariego, Managing Director of the Grand Cayman Marriott said the Resort had assembled one of the most experienced sales teams in the Caribbean.

“The new team is a winning combination of existing Marriott staff - bringing a wealth of knowledge on the Resort and the Islands - and new staff with a fresh and innovative vision for the property,” he said.

Ms Stradling said the team’s goal was to put the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort firmly back on the map.

“The look and feel of the new Resort is fresh and vibrant - we are not just another corporate hotel. We will feature Caymanian artists, musicians and artisans, as well as providing new levels of service,” she said. “The entire experience will be novel for the Island.”

“The service standards in every department have been raised.  Our philosophy is simple - treat your staff right and they will be happy and in turn provide a better level of service and atmosphere for the guests. Our changes have started at the grass roots all the way to the top.”

Prior to Marriott, Ms Stradling worked for three years as Sales and Marketing Manager at Comfort Suites & Resort in Cayman.  She was elected in May 2005 to the Board of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association and works closely with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

“The Resort has gone from having only one local sales manager to a local team of three, with an additional team in the US dedicated solely to our Island and Resort.  Our clients will benefit due to the increased levels of service a larger team can provide,” Ms Stradling said.

Ms Jaime Anton is responsible for conference and catering events including weddings, honeymoons and social occasions.  She has considerable event planning experience.  Moving to Cayman from Canada in 2004, Ms Anton previously worked for The Tour Company, based in Grand Cayman.

“We are very excited to bring three new-look restaurants to the Marriott Resort - Solana, Balboa’s Lounge and the Red Parrot,” Ms Anton said. “These new venues will offer great alternatives for social gatherings and Christmas parties.”

“We also have new wedding and honeymoon packages available and are excited about an upcoming promotion - Rewarding Weddings by Marriott - starting in September,” she said.

Having worked for the Grand Cayman Marriott for three years, Mrs Elena Ford said she was excited to be a part of the transition and was proud of not only the new look, but also the new services on offer which would set higher standards for the industry.

“Our multi million dollar renovation is almost complete. The major facelift will transform our oceanfront property into one of Grand Cayman’s premier destination resorts and will distinguish it from any other Marriott,” Mrs Ford said.

Mrs Ford said the team planned to focus on building corporate relationships as well as group and wedding business which were areas that had not been developed extensively before.

“I love working in sales as it is a very challenging and demanding job, there is never a dull moment!” she said.

“The value of a strong leadership team in the hospitality industry is more important now than ever before.  Each member of our sales team brings significant hotel management, operations and sales experience that will be invaluable to not only the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, but to the Cayman Islands as a tourism destination,” Mr Sariego said.

For any information on rates, groups and meeting space, please contact Nadia Stradling on 943 2052. The sales team is also available for site tours of the newly refurbished property.
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