Le Meridien Pegasus gears up for CWC
New GM positive about Guyana's tourism potential
By Ruel Johnson
Guyana Chronicle
March 25, 2007
The chef with the cricket bat may be taking it a bit far but the message gets through – Le Meridien Pegasus is gearing up for CWC 2007, according to newly appointed General Manager, Mr. Bert Plas.
Mr. Plas, a Dutch national, has only been two months in his role as GM, the bulk of year and a half in Guyana being spent as Deputy GM. Yet for the relative short time he has been here he seems to have an astute appraisal of not only what is in the tourism and hospitality industry in Guyana, but also of what can be.
Mr. Plas should know – he's had a wide-ranging, multicultural experience in the hotel industry, having worked in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Canada, the USA, Switzerland and in Asia. Concerning whether he had been prepared for his entry into the particular cultural milieu of Guyana, Mr. Plas cites his previous place of employment – the Crowne Plaza in neighbouring Trinidad. He says that while there are obvious cultural similarities between Guyana and Trinidad, there are some notable differences.
"The Guyanese people," he told Pepperpot in an interview last week, "are more hospitable. And the pace here is different. I remember in Port-of-Spain for example, there would be a lot of traffic jams."
Mr. Plas believes that the warmth and hospitality which comes naturally to Guyanese is now being really capitalised upon when it comes to the development of our accommodation industry.
"Over the one and a half years," he told Pepperpot, "I've seen new hotels going up, places being renovated. I think there is a positive feeling in the air in the country. Of course the Cricket World Cup also has something to do with it but not everything."
The hotel executive believes that there is evidence of a growing realization of the potential in the hotel industry and other related niche areas like restaurants. He noted the fairly recently opened coffee shops, Oasis Café and its sister branch Oasis Too as one example. The recently modernised and upgraded German's Restaurant – which specialises in soups – is another.
He also noted other projects such as the Ogle Airport expansion, the International Conference Centre, new airlines and the planned Berbice River bridge as positive developments for the tourism industry.
Two weeks ago, this paper reported that Cara Hotels was in a nearly concluded acquisition deal with Le Meredien Pegasus. Asked for a clarification and update on the present status of the deal, Mr. Plas responded:
"The present favourable investment climate in the tourism and hospitality industry has naturally resulted in much interest in the acquisition of Le Meredien Pegasus, Guyana's leading hotel. However, for the hotel staff it is very much business as usual. A sale is still far from being concluded, if indeed it proceeds at all."
Ready for the game
Business as usual in some aspects yes, but in others it is a whole new ballgame for the hotel. According to Bert Plas, since it was confirmed some two years ago that Guyana was to host some of the CWC 2007 matches, several teams made their reservations at Le Meredien almost immediately: our own West Indies, South Africa, England, India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. At the time of the writing of this article, all but one of those teams were scheduled to play matches in Guyana .
Le Meridien is prepared. Over the past two years, the hotel has been undergoing a paced internal metamorphosis – geared at the general improvement of the existing facilities but also with a view to ensuring that their CWC 2007 guests are as well accommodated as possible. The pace has quickened in the past few months, leading up to the event. The hotel has increased staff levels and has undertaken extensive training to ensure that every employee is well informed and prepared to handle whatever requests a guest may have.
There have also been infrastructural upgrades, according to Mr. Plas, including the installation of a new poolside barbecue kitchen, new walk in coolers and freezers and new audio equipment. As popular as the hotel grounds have always been with wedding parties and photographers, he and his team have also seen it fit to undertake some additional landscaping. Perhaps most importantly however, the rooms have also been upgraded.
The GM told Sunday Chronicle that the recently concluded Rio Summit meeting here in Guyana provided a good warm up exercise for the World Cup. The hotel hosted the majority of the foreign heads of state and other dignitaries who were here for the Summit last month,
"We had President Michelle Bachelet from Chile, President Lula from Brazil, President Ortega from Nicaragua, Prime Minister Manning from Trinidad…President Chavez was booked to stay here but he, as you know, did not come."
Le Meridien was also responsible for the catering both at the official dinner at State House as well as at the Summit itself, held at the International Convention Centre.
According to Mr. Plas, the Summit provided an excellent warm up exercise for CWC 2007, not only for Le Meridien but for all involved, including the Government of Guyana. The hotel has also been contracted to provide catering in the Stadium during the CWC matches scheduled to be held here.
"I saw something on the Summit on the BBC," he said, "I think it was very well handled by the government and everyone involved."
A winning team
Bert Plas believes that he is himself captaining a winning team for the CWC event starting here next week.
"A hotel itself is really just a building," he said, "What makes the difference in a hotel is the staff. This hotel has many, many repeat guests some of whom have been coming here for the past twenty years. And the reason is the staff. We have many staff who have been here for a very long time and they know the guests and relate to them well."
A recent addition to the side is newly appointed Executive Chef, Mr. Patrick Schmutz – a Swiss national with a wealth of international experience. Mr. Schmutz, noted Mr. Plas, has worked in virtually every region of the world with his last tenure being the Executive Chef at the luxurious Quito Tennis and Golf Club in Ecuador.
Over the next two weeks, Bert Plas promises that Le Meridien will be pulling out all the stops in ensuring that guests and visitors alike will enjoy the very best in food and entertainment. All food and beverage outlets at the hotel will have extended hours, and there will be events such as a food festival and barbecue nights.
After the games
The way forward, Bert Plas believes, is by competitive cooperation within the industry. He believes that the establishment of Buddy's Hotel, provides the stimulus for Le Meridien Pegasus to work hard to retain its reputation as the leading hotel in Guyana.
He believes that the hotel along with other properties around the country can collectively support an increase in the tourism industry, with different places catering to or sharing various niche markets.
"But first we have to let everyone know that we are here," said Mr. Plas.
According to him, whether or not the projected twenty thousand visitors arrive – or whether the number is below what is expected – the key value for Guyana coming out of its hosting of the Super Eight matches is the tremendous global media attention that the event will bring to the country.
"The world wide media exposure for CWC 2007 will place Guyana on the world map and this is the chance for us to show the world where Guyana is and what it has to offer," Mr. Plas said.
With positive exposure, it is inevitable that the number of visitors will increase, resulting in a further expansion of the accommodation industry, he believes. Guyana can be a new conference destination, Mr. Plas cites for example, since conference organisers are always looking for new places to host their events.
As the accommodation industry expands in Guyana, he stated, the need for more staff is going to become a crucial element related to the industry's development.
"We see the need for management, for cooks, for waiters," he told Pepperpot.
The establishment of a specialised hotel school would go a long way in training the staff necessary to fill the demand.
One initiative he personally will be putting forward, after the games, to the lead tourism agencies in Guyana GTA and THAG is the establishment of a national team of chefs to compete in international culinary competitions.
"Guyana itself is a wonderful product," said Bert Plas in closing, "Presenting a clean and safe environment, along with our beautiful natural scenes will facilitate the marketing of the country. We at Le Meridien are ready to step up to the crease, so let the games begin."