November 5 - 11, 2016
NEWS 13
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
A preview of what the living rooms is expected to look like
A preview of the bathrooms will look like after renovations
Beaches to kick off new tourism season with multimillion dollars renovation BEACHES Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa is set to kick off the upcoming Tourism Season with major sparks following a multimillion dollar renovation at the resort. The 758 rooms and suites resort, which sits on over 73 acres along the Grace Bay beach, broke away from traditional cookie-cutter aesthetics after receiving upgrades over the past few months. Most notable is the new splash of tropical colours on both the Caribbean Village and the French Village. There has been a complete refurbishment of twelve (12) one bedroom Honeymoon Suites [H1] in the Caribbean Village.
The H1 suites were completely gutted and received modern implementations such as new bathroom fixtures, porcelain bath tubs, mahogany king size beds and decors. “Turks & Caicos is one of the most sought after destination in the world; we look forward to keeping up with the current trends and modernization of tourism product in order to keep our market share as a destination,” said Managing Director Donald Dagenais, who has running the resort for the past nine years, “We pride ourselves on being a six-star resort and always meet our guest expectations, which is why we felt compelled to invest heavily in renovating and upgrading our resort
for the upcoming tourism season.” Major renovations were also made in four major restaurants, which included an upgrade to the resorts Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant Kimonos and its 50’s style diner Bobby Dee’s. , The seafood restaurant Schooner’s, South Western Restaurant Arizona’s and Taste of India also received lavish upgrades. “In addition to the room refurbishment, we have done several restaurant upgrades, including a massive renovation of the Caribbean Village main kitchen which caters to two restaurants, a pastry shop, a pantry and butcher shop.” Dagenais said. The property is set to welcome over three thousand guests per week
in the high season and the team has been working hard to meet the deadline. “We have had several furniture and fixture upgrades, floor refurbishment, Xbox game room renovation, Kids Playground upgrades, basketball court and tennis court resurfacing.” The long-time Managing Director said. The changes also include behind-the-scenes upgrades like air conditioning replacements in both the Key West and the Italian Village. Installation of a new electron locks system in the Caribbean Village. There were also several enhancements to the staff facilities, including the staff cafeterias, staff car park and bathrooms. “The property has never looked
better, even our gym and our run trails looks fabulous. Our team is excited about what is shaping up to be a tremendous winter season.” Dagenais exclaimed. Not only is the resort investing heavily in preparing the resort for the incoming season, the resort is also preparing its talented team members for the rush. Millions has been invested annually to undertake a raft of training and development programs for over 1900 team members at the resort. “We look forward to continuing with these upgrades, of both the facility as well as our team members, its only way to keep up with our guest’s demands.” Dagenais concluded.
Sixth annual Food and Wine Festival promises to excel previous years THE SIXTH annual Caribbean Food and Wine Festival is going to be bigger and better than previous years, according to the organizers of the event. A press conference was held at the Grace Bay Club in Providenciales on Monday to discuss this year’s itinerary. Co-chairman for the annual festival, Nikheel Advani said that he along with the organizing team were excited to once again to be hosting another Caribbean Food and Wine Festival. He said: “This has become an event that many people look forward to and many people fly down for.
However, we also have a lot of the local community that comes in early and books their seat.” Porsha Stubbs, Minister of Tourism said that she is very proud to be a part of the event for yet another year. “This is our sixth year. As Minister, being able to have the TCI brand being given the opportunity to shine like a beacon throughout the world is certainly a pleasure for me and it should be a pleasure for all Turks and Caicos Islanders. “Especially in the area of culinary arts, where I like to brag and boast that I believe that all the best chefs in the world were trained here in these
Wine and rum specialists along with representatives of the Wine Cellar in Providenciales
islands. “Certainly we have seen through the junior chefs program, some of the brightest minds producing innovative and creative dishes,” Hon Smith said. The four-day event featured a welcome dinner at the Amanyara on November 3; a Women of Wine luncheon at the Blue Haven on November 4 along with a Gourmet Safari at several restaurants; a Food and Wine Pairing at the Blue Haven on November 5 and a Sunday brunch
at the Blue Haven on November 6. On Wednesday, a press conference was held at the Wine Cellar in Providenciales where some of the organizers took the opportunity to introduce invited winemakers and rum specialists. Chairman of Wente Vineyards, Eric Wente; Master Sommelier at Brewer Clifton Winery, Ken Fredrickson; Winemaker at Lail Vinyards, Robin Daniels and Master Blender at Appleton Estate, Joy Spence are among organizers’
invited guests. The Food and Wine festival showcases some of the best restaurants and promises a culinary extravaganza for food and wine lovers. Organizers, including the Tourist Board both hope that the festival contributes in making the TCI an unparalleled destination. Not only for its natural beauty, but also for the best food and wine, as they host many international chefs and winemakers to our shores.