Employees our biggest assets
Jamaica Inn heaps praise on its workers; crime rate a hindrance to progress
FROM HOLLYWOOD aristocrats like Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller to British nobles like Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret, Jamaica Inn remains as timeless as its guests. Established in 1958, it is situated in the tourist resort town of Ocho Rios and is operated by third-generation owners Peter and Eric Morrow. The hotel accommodates around 100 guests at full capacity in its more than 40 rooms and seven cottage suites. Additionally, its spa, known as the Ocean Spa, was voted number one in the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Bermuda in 2016. According to Peter Morrow, the hotel’s success is largely as a result of the efforts of its more than 100 employees.
“No guest goes wanting, because we have enough people on the grounds; so they don’t have to wait to be served. Our staff genuinely enjoy serving and taking care of their needs, so the guests and staff are both happy.”
Morrow, along with Jamaica Inn’s general manager, Kyle Mais, acknowledged that their employees, on average, remain with the hotel for at least a decade.
Morrow said, “Most of them don’t retire. My head barman, Teddy Tucker, for example, has been here 57 years. When I first met him, I was 12 years old and he was 16.”
Mais notes that the employees are the hotel’s biggest assets and the average employee’s tenure is around 15 years.
Being in the hotel industry is very rewarding, in Morrow’s opinion, because of his open-door policy as an owner.
“I meet every guest that arrives and say goodbye to them, too. You meet interesting groups of people. I love sitting down and talking to my guests, and that is what makes Jamaica Inn unique. The managers and owners are always around.”