RJRGleaner Hospitality Jamaica nominations extended
NOMINATIONS HAVE been extended for the fifth-anniversary staging of the prestigious RJRGleaner Communications Group Hospitality Jamaica Awards, which will take place on Saturday, November 9, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James. The event, one of the signature attractions on the local hospitality industry calendar, is designed to highlight and showcase the successes of stakeholders to include individuals, resorts, attractions, and entertainment events that have made an exemplary contribution to the development of the sector. Nominations for this year’s staging will now close on Monday, October 7, with voting commencing on Tuesday, October 8, for a period of two weeks via a special website. Already, several nominations have been received mainly in the category of ‘Best All-inclusive’ hotels under and over 300 rooms. Other popular categories include ‘Best Attraction’ and ‘Best Tour Operator’. Janet Silvera, who has been the coordinator of Hospitality Jamaica since its inception 14 years ago, says the 2019 edition of the awards will be a glitzy affair, steeped in glamour and entertainment. She is expected to pull out some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry. “It is critical for us to recognise and celebrate the individuals, organisations, and entities that make Jamaica the destination that it is – the diversity that we offer, that is not known everywhere else, and the uniqueness that is Jamaica,” said Silvera. “That is what we are seeking to recognise with these awards.” This year, the event will feature four new sections, which Silvera believes will open the door to more persons being recognised and awarded for their contributions. The four categories are: Best Opening of The Year, Best-Kept Secret, Best Cultural Experience/ Tour, and Entertainment – Best Event. “Four brand-new categories have been added to this year’s list of awards, increasing the total to 17. Three companies will be shortlisted for each category after votes are tallied,” said Silvera. “We have decided on this format because all of these come together to form a large part of what makes the hospitality industry what it is.” She added: “The Entertainment – Best Event category will showcase events like Reggae Sumfest, Rebel Salute, Dream Weekend, and Buju Banton’s Long Walk to Freedom, which all attracted significant numbers of visitors to the island and positively impacted our tourism product.” As part of its bold effort to outdo 2017, which generated significant local and regional attention, with Kevin Hendrickson walking away with the coveted Hospitality Personality of The Year award and hotel mogul Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart copping the Pioneer Award, Silvera said a veteran in the industry who has been making waves locally and internationally will be accorded the Pioneer. The list of categories is as follows: