CUSTOMER service is paramount within the hospitality and tourism industry no matter where in the world you go. Once visitors have discovered a destination’s natural beauty and the unique characteristics of its physical offerings, it’s the people who set that place apart from its competitors. This is the reason Kaveen Balasal says she’s dedicated to developing the people in the industry into exceptional, motivated beings.

The recently promoted manager says the human element is of utmost importance at Sandals’ boutique resort, Sandals Carlyle, where she now oversees revenue and resort sales.

In her current position as revenue/sales manager, Balasal oversees six team members inside the resort gift shop, the Red Lane spa and the Island Routes tour desk and ensures all revenue areas consistently meet their monthly targets.

“Customers appreciate service that comes from a genuine place. They admire team members who go the extra mile and strive for excellence; team members who are motivated and inspired,” she said.

“After guests have purchased our goods and services, once they’ve stayed with us they don’t have to come back, but at Sandals Carlyle they come back anyway because of the connections they’ve made with our people and they keep coming back because these people are now their friends.”

Balasal’s initiation into the hospitality industry came when she took a job at 19 years old as a telephone operator at the [then] Buccaneer Beach Resort.

During a premature hiatus from the industry she managed to hone her analytical skills at an auditing company called Mediatrack and her experience as an information officer at the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) offered her comprehensive knowledge of all Jamaica had to offer as a tourism destination.

“Being at TPDCo certainly allowed me to speak with confidence about Jamaica and gave me that extra edge once I went back to working in hotels,” she said.

Her re-entry into the hotels took place in 1998 when she was offered a job at Half Moon Resort. Working as a front office agent and senior concierge in the eight years that followed provided her with a strong foundation in guest relations and the front-line operations of a resort.

“I did everything from the pre-planning and execution of basic wedding packages and confirming travel arrangements for guests, to responding to guest queries prior to arrival,” she explained.

A move to the Sandals group in 2006 as a vacation specialist at Unique Vacations, therefore seemed like a natural progression for her. But it wasn’t the right fit; she yearned for that personal interaction with the guests. So of course when an opportunity presented itself for her to work on a resort, she jumped in with no reservations.

“For three years I worked as a loyalty specialist between Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals Montego Bay before being promoted to loyalty manager at Sandals Carlyle,” she said.

During that time, Balasal says she got a real sense of what it takes to meet and exceed a client’s expectations. “The Sandals loyalty programme, for me, was more about understanding your guests, managing relationships and maintaining trust than even selling vacations.”

Understanding that and acting upon it allowed her to increase Sandals Select Membership by 200 per cent for two consecutive years, making her resort the most improved in loyalty sales.

Sandals Carlyle is a small resort with only 65 staff. Every member of the nine-person management team has to multitask and for Balasal it was no different. While managing the Sandals loyalty desk, she handled the environmental, health and safety matters of the resort, carried out duties as a sales manager and assisted with front desk operations.

“It was through working more closely with the front office team that I really started to connect with the staff and felt there was more for me to do,” she said.

Thereafter, she worked closely with the training and development manager to guide the front office staff in identifying their strengths and weaknesses and finding ways to improve themselves.

“I realised that there were a lot of team members around me with untapped potential, they just needed that extra push. Developing our staff members would not only produce better results for the resort but allow for greater focus within the management team.”

Among Balasal’s protégés are Michelle Thompson, who was recently selected as lead therapist for Sandals Carlyle; and Navia Thompson from the gift shop.

Following her guidance, both women successfully completed customer service and leadership training through the Sandals Corporate University. Michelle will be enrolling in the certified spa supervisor course offered by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute; and Balasal has positioned Navia to understudy the gift shop supervisor at sister property, Sandals Montego Bay, with hopes of grooming her for a future management position.

“Kaveen is an inspiration to me,” said Michelle. “She is easy to talk to and she takes the time to listen; she motivates me by not only allowing me to do what I love, but she constantly reminds me that I can do more.”

Balasal admits that she has grown tremendously from an ardent front office agent eager to make an impression on her guests.

“Today I want to leave a lasting impression on my team members,” she said.

“In addition to working with them on developing sales strategies, my intention is to inspire them to strive for excellence in their personal and professional lives to reach their full potential. Once I can achieve that, I don’t have to worry about the sales, the sales will come.”