WHITEHOUSE, Westmoreland — In a show of appreciation and gratitude for their hard work, the management of Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa undertook a covert operation that saw the resort's line staff enjoying an early morning wake-up treat while en route to work recently.

Lead by Hotel Manager, Caroline Cousins, the company arranged staff transportation from Black River to Whitehouse and Savanna -la -Mar to Whitehouse, were waylaid by the managers who boarded the buses mid-journey, with refreshments, live entertainment and on the spot give-a-ways.

On arrival at the resort, the passengers were joined by other team members and greeted with full breakfast service.

A surprise appearance by Sesame Street character, Cookie Monster added to the early morning welcome session which took on the feel of a festive event, setting the tone for a productive and much -talked about day.

Latasha Fagan, Red Lane Spa therapist was appreciative of the gesture and noted, "it was a breath of fresh air. The management's kind gesture really showed their appreciation for our hard work."

Accounting clerk, Yannique Holmes, shared similar sentiments and said, "This is a good effort by our managers to show the team members that they are grateful for what we do."

The event marks one of the many fun, on-resort team building activities that are undertaken by the resort's management to continue the spirit of camaraderie amongst the staff.

And in acknowledging the smiles and appreciative comments from the staff, Cousins thanked her fellow managers for taking the time to welcome the staff.

"We offer this surprise welcome because it is a simple, but remarkable way of greeting our team members and making them feel honoured. The day gets off to a wonderful start when everyone shares a laugh and gets in a good mood. At Sandals, all our team members are as important as our resort guests and this is one way to say 'we appreciate you, good job and well done!"