Coco Reef Resort and Spa, Tobago, has spent US$9 million on an upgrade, the Business Guardian learned through a release on Tuesday.
After receiving the World Travel Award as the Caribbean's Leading Hotel, Bermudan hotelier and Coco Reef owner John Jefferis said: "Although I have considerable funds invested in Coco Reef � Tobago, including a recently completed US$9 million upgrade of the property with a fabulous new beach restaurant, our guests continue to tell us that their most memorable experience is our friendly, courteous and professional staff. In these times of boring multi-national chains, I am immensely proud that the managers and staff at Coco Reef, Tobago, have again been recognised as being exceptional."
The release said Coco Reef, Tobago, was "for an unprecedented seventh consecutive year, the recipient of the World Travel Award as the "Caribbean's Leading Hotel."
The statement said the World Travel Awards are described by the Wall Street Journal as the "Oscars" of the global travel and tourism industry.
Upon receiving the award, Jefferis was quoted as saying: "I am extremely proud to have received this award again, on behalf of Coco Reef � Tobago. It is a testimony to our outstanding director and general manager Eric Feniet and his team of dedicated professionals who never forget that providing exemplary service to all of our customers is what sets our resort apart from others."
Jefferis developed the Coco Reef Resort in Tobago more than 12 years ago, the release said, although Guardian file stories said the hotel started in 1995. The Coco Reef Resort and Spa, Tobago, is the former Crown Reef hotel, which was a state-owned hotel that was closed in 1988 by the NAR Government due to continuing losses over preceding years and dilapidation.
According to Guardian archives, the hotel was expected to be renovated by 1992 by a consortium of owners. The owner consortium comprised Bermuda businessman John Jefferis (majority shareholding), Tobago-born businessmen Robert Yorke and Isaac McLeod, and the T&T Government with a 40 per cent. According to the reports, US$27 million was spent to renovate the property.
Resort opulence
The Coco Reef of today features "the exquisite US$2,000 per night Sunset Villa at Coco Reef, with its marble bathrooms and 24-karat gold fittings," the release said. A "superior garden-view room," which is the room typically available for booking by default via the Web site hotels.com, would cost an average of US$243.43 per night for a three-night stay on the weekend of June 14 to 16. This rate is inclusive of taxes and service fees.
Coco Reef management said in the release that Sunset Villa "has been frequented by innumerable celebrities, such as Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, Sting and many more."
Coco Reef has also been frequented by Cabinet, which has met there five times over the last three years, including as recent as January, even after state-owned Magdalena Grand opened in December 2011 to guests, and ceremoniously again by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on June 1, 2012. Cabinet met for a retreat at the Magdalena Grand that same weekend (June 1-3, 2012).
Today, Coco reef, Tobago, has 140 rooms, villas and suites on ten acres of "beautifully-manicured tropical gardens," the release said. Thanks to man-made dikes, the property also now has the benefit of its own private beach. It reportedly had no beach in front when it opened in 1995.
The Coco Reef Resort and Spa in Tobago is a sister property to Coco Reef, Bermuda, which is a 70 room and villa property situated on what property managers describe as "the island's most spectacular beach." It features an award winning atrium lobby, two restaurants with fabulous views, and exotic private dining facilities, the statement said. This month, the Coco Reef, Bermuda, will be opening a Caribbean and Latin American Art Gallery and Tapas Bar on Bermuda's South Shore.
Celebrity entrepreneur Graham Cooke, the president and founder of the World Travel Awards, said: "The past year has brought significant challenges to the travel industry. They include increased tax on long haul travel, a major economic turndown and a significant reduction in tourism spending, all of which have impacted travel and tourism worldwide. Today's winners have not only been recognised as the best in their region, but they have proved themselves to be the best in the world and the number one choice of travel professionals and consumers alike."
He added, "They have remained focused on their long-term objectives and continue to deliver above and beyond the call of duty, setting an example that is inspirational to all involved in the global travel and tourism industry."
?
