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Hyatt Regency Trinidad - A Culture of Care
CORPORATE PROFILE
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company’s subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place® and Hyatt House® brand names and has locations on six continents. Hyatt Residential Group, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops, operates, markets or licenses as Hyatt ResidencesTM and Hyatt Residence ClubTM.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company’s subsidiaries manage, franchise, own develop hotels resorts under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place® and Hyatt House® brand names and have locations on six continents. Hyatt Residential Group, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops, operates, markets or licenses as Hyatt ResidencesTM and Hyatt Residence ClubTM.
The gift of self
Hyatt encompasses the full spectrum of hotel types, which are conveniently located in urban, suburban, airport, convention and resort destinations around the world. Properties range in size from 200 to more than 2,000 rooms, feature intimate and large meeting spaces, and offer a full range of services and dining options tailored to serve the needs of conventions, business travellers or resort vacationers. Designed as the premier meeting, convention, business, event and leisure travel property. Hyatt Regency Trinidad is a 428-room hotel and is situated in the Port of Spain International Waterfront Development. The versatile event space showcases a 16,000 square-foot Regency Ballroom and a 10,000 square-foot Port of Spain Ballroom with translation facilities. Other guest facilities include one full-service restaurant, a lobby bar and lounge, a sushi bar, rooftop infinity pool, fitness centre and the 9,000 square-foot Spa Esencia.
Hyatt encompasses the full spectrum of hotel types, which are conveniently located in urban, suburban, airport, convention and resort destinations around the world. Properties range in size from more than 2,000 rooms, feature intimate and large spaces, and offer a full range of services and dining tailored to serve the needs of conventions, business travellers or resort vacationers. Designed as the premier meeting, convention, business, event and leisure travel property. Hyatt Regency Trinidad is a 428-room hotel and is situated the Port Waterfront Development. The versatile event space showcases a 16,000 square-foot Regency Ballroom and a 10,000 Port of Spain Ballroom with translation facilities. Other guest facilities include one full-service restaurant, a lobby bar lounge, a sushi bar, rooftop infinity pool, fitness centre the 9,000 square-foot Spa Esencia.
CSR Approach
Whether you enter through the employee entrance or as a guest through the main doors, there is a meeting point at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad that’s best described as – CARE. Employees are trained to provide excellent customer service to everyone who enters their doors; but it is the care that they provide to the many people who are outside that distinguishes the guardians of the Hyatt badge. Here employees work collaboratively to identify social causes and then they very often conduct their own fund raising initiatives to support those projects. In some cases, employees even dig into their own pockets to finance their special cause.
Social Responsibility is deeply entrenched in the operations at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad and the hotel has a comprehensive programme to engage employees and associates in what can best be described as a culture of care. That care includes building local capability through training and career development in the hospitality industry, it means promoting healthy lifestyles and it also means preservation of the natural environment.
competitive edge in the quality of support and services that it can provide to investors and business travellers and over the years, the hotel has done just that. Hyatt Regency Trinidad has become the preferred location for conferences, business meetings and leisure travellers to the country. More than promoting tourism and stimulating commerce, the company’s growth is also creating valuable employment.
Hyatt Regency Trinidad is also a strong advocate of shared responsibility. General Manager Russell George believes that making Trinidad & Tobago stronger requires the helping hand of all. He encourages employee engagement in their home communities. “We believe that we have a responsibility to manage our business in a manner that creates value both for us and for our communities”, says George. It is no wonder that the hotel has quickly become one of the best places to work in Trinidad & Tobago. Many people who work in the industry will tell you that the Hyatt Regency Trinidad is where they aspire to work.
Caring for Communities
Hyatt’s global corporate responsibility platform is called Hyatt Thrive. According to their website, it is designed “to help make our communities places where our associates are proud to work, our guests want to visit, our neighbors want to live and owners want to invest. It reflects our belief that no one better understands a community’s most pressing issues – and their solutions – than those who live and work there”. In Trinidad, Hyatt Regency Trinidad’s CSR agenda is entirely driven by its employees. Committee members drawn
Hyatt’s global corporate responsibility platform is called Hyatt Thrive. According to their website, it is designed “to help make our communities places where our associates are proud to work, our guests want to visit, our neighbors want to live and owners want to invest. It reflects our belief that no one better understands a community’s most pressing issues – and their solutions – than those who live and work there”. In Trinidad, Hyatt Regency Trinidad’s CSR agenda is entirely driven by its employees. Committee members drawn from each department select projects that
“Building human capacity and capability is a major focus for Hyatt Regency Trinidad” and as General Manager Russell George explains, each year the hotel trains several nationals to international industry standards to deliver world-class service. As a major business destination, Trinidad needs to retain a sharp
Marketing Manager Neemah Persad-Celestine explains that it is this passion for doing “good” that makes employees of the hotel so generous with their time and service – even after a long day of work is over. “We are a family” she says, “all genuinely concerned about each other as much as we are concerned about the comfort
are designed to alleviate poverty, improve quality of life and build connectivity within their own workplace.
2012 Highlights (T&T)
Green Ambassadors – Disaster Relief Efforts
Generating Value – Employee Commitment and Dedication
Reading for a Better Life - Support for ALTA
Signature Charity Event – Part proceeds to United Way Trinidad and Tobago
“We believe that we have a responsibility to manage our business in a manner that creates value both for us and for our communities.”
and welfare of every guest of ours…we care very much about the communities in which we live and work”. From Persad-Celestine’s perspective, it is part of the hotel’s DNA. She says, “We know that a better society out there means a more secure environment for our guests and for our own families. So there is great value in our investment in communities”.
As Russell George explains, “Since 2009, we have partnered with United Way Trinidad and Tobago in funding or manpower to support their tremendous impact in the community.” One such investment of the hotel is the support it gave to ALTA (Adult Literacy Tutors Association) through United Way Trinidad and Tobago. In 2012, through Hyatt’s Community Grant, Hyatt Regency Trinidad was successful in obtaining US$5,000 for ALTA.
Funding for Hyatt Community Grants is provided by Hyatt Hotels Foundation. In 2012, Hyatt Regency Trinidad was among 26 Hyatt properties from around the world which were awarded more than US$300,000 in grants to non-profits in their local communities. Since the program’s inception in 2008, Hyatt hotels have awarded more than US$1,350,000 to nonprofit organizations in 103 communities and 34 countries around the world.
Signature Charity Event
Since 2011, the hotel has hosted an annual allinclusive Carnival fete - LIME, from which part proceeds have been donated to United Way Trinidad and Tobago to assist an NGO in need. The Heroes Foundation was the recipient, where funds were directed to supporting their Youth Development Programme. Part proceeds from the LIME event in 2011 were donated to the Christ-Child Convalescent Home and to the Rainbow Rescue Home for Boys in 2013.
Disaster Relief
In 2012, employees were directly involved in giving support and assistance to 15 organisations, including homes, NGO’s and community projects. In a green-relief project, employees busied themselves during last year’s flash floods which affected many people in the valley areas of North Trinidad. Employees of the Housekeeping and Laundry departments shared how the staff collected barely-used bottles of soap, shampoo and hair conditioner, as well as linens to bring relief to persons who had all their personal belongings submerged by water. They also mobilized to help with the cleaning up in Diego Martin during the emergency.
Persad-Celestine is enthusiastic about the effort. “We were able to give much needed bath and linen hampers to those who had lost everything”. But this was one in year-round volunteerism at the Hyatt. Employee engagement in charitable causes and fundraising activities are on-going throughout the year - with purpose and follow through.
Generating Value takes planning
At Hyatt Regency Trinidad, CSR planning is very much a part of the annual strategic planning process. As a critical aspect of its corporate governance, the hotel requires that its CSR programme is process-driven, measureable and carefully aligned to its business objectives and values. It is very much driven and executed by the employees who are very committed to making a difference. Volunteer and fund-raising activities are on-going throughout the year with purpose and follow-through.
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