Dear Editor,

In a country where good customer service has become a rare commodity, I feel almost obligated to give praise when I come across a small local entity that holds a high standard for itself.

Recently, I travelled to Westmoreland and came across a small hotel called Sunny Side Resort on Farm Road in Savanna-la-Mar, which is just about 30 minutes from Negril.

My friends and I were apprehensive about this place at first because there was no beach in the immediate vicinity, but we soon realised we had missed out on nothing.

We had such an enjoyable experience. The staff was friendly and courteous. They attended to whatever we needed in a timely manner and with an attitude that said they were genuinely pleased to be helping us. We are so grateful to our new friends, Managing Director Sharon Bahadur as well as David Quarrie, an exceptionally disciplined and well-mannered young man.

I travel a lot across the island and often stay at small locally managed hotels, but it is not often I come across a team that understands the significance of treating their guests with respect and kindness.

We enjoyed our time there. We had great food and enjoyed the tranquillity of the atmosphere. The bar was well stacked and quite affordable and the pool was clean. It’s a pleasure to see that all hope is not lost for customer service in these small establishments. I urge other small businesses to spend the time to make the necessary changes and improve basic customer service skills that can make a mountain of difference to the individuals who walks through their doors.

Robert Daye

robert_daye@yahoo.com