The hotels and resorts of Cayman bring together employees from the Islands and further afield. Like the island in general, there are representatives of cultures and countries from far and wide working in a variety of jobs to make the service as professional and smooth as possible.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, for example, has a 774 staff from 52 different countries, including Cayman, with additional staff hired on a seasonal basis. The integration of the staff begins with a very simple shared premise, according to Human Resources director, Janette Goodman.

“The foundation is that everyone comes together from different countries, different cultures and different beliefs but when we come [to work at the hotel] we create the Ritz-Carlton culture together. We talk about our motto: ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen. We talk about the credo of what that means. There’s a sentence in the employee promise that talks about trust, honesty, respect, integrity and commitment and we discuss what that means as a group,” explains Goodman.

Diversity valued
Diversity has always been a valued aspect of the Marriott’s approach, according to Fernando Soler, who is human resources manager at Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort. “It is very high on the company’s priority list; one of our initiatives is to embrace diversity and encourage it in the workplace. It makes the company a better-rounded one, and as Marriott operates in every corner of the world, it makes it a brand that the customers will look out for.

“Every year, in May, we have an associate [employee] appreciation week. For the first time this year we had a cultural diversity day where we shared ideas on how our associates can share their culture with others. For the last four years we’ve had an associate food showcase where the 44 nationalities [of the 228] we have here brought in their national dish, shared recipes and ingredients. You see a pride coming out and this year it was so big we had to use the entire ballroom,” noted Mr. Soler, who added that there was staff from Hungary, Romania, Italy, Nepal and Indonesia, amongst others. The Ritz-Carlton brand will fully participate in 2011.

Plethora of nationalities
On Cayman Brac, the Alexander Hotel has a smaller staff but includes a plethora of nationalities including Cubans, Jamaicans, Englishmen and locals, explained Jackie Ebanks, manager. “The common goals are the same; some came here for economic reasons. My family moved to the States when I was young for the same reasons, you know,” he said.

One example of diversity in a wider sociological context, he said, is that Caymanians often learn Spanish in school because of the Spanish-speaking community. This multilingualism is of great benefit to the hotel.

“We do have guests that are of a different nationality than we are and we can direct them to somebody who can help because they can communicate with them in their own language and understand what their wants and needs are,” continues Ebanks.

This polyglot element is echoed by Goodman, who has a wide linguistic ability, including Farsi, most European languages and Japanese.

“About three weeks ago we had a small group from Japan and we utilised one of the supervisors of our Ambassadors of the Environment scheme who spent most of her time with them - to the point that they invited her onto all the activities they were doing on island, because they were so excited that someone could share [the experience] with them in their native tongue,” explained Goodman.

She added that when the company recruits, they are looking for people who by nature enjoy helping others. This means that everyone is excited to share their abilities with guests. “We don’t put it in anybody’s contracts or anything like that but when you ask if anybody has a special skill [such as linguistic ability], there are multiple hands raised because people want to get involved,” she said.

Soler added that the associates at Marriott are encouraged to embrace their own personal working style but as long as they are friendly, genuine, professional and caring they need not fit any particular age demographic. There is a range of ages from teenagers to 70 year olds working at Marriott, an aspect of integration that is also very important, he says, to embrace.

Cultural celebration
The employee dining room was named Diver-City when the Ritz-Carlton first opened, referencing both the wide range of employees and the underwater world that brings so many people to Cayman as visitors. In the Cayman branch of Ritz-Carlton here are regular celebrations of national holidays. Company-wide, once a year there is a cultural celebration day, which covers everything from sharing of language to setting up a mini-convention in Diver-city with different booths representing different cultures, languages, foods and so on. The mission statement of Cultural Appreciation Day for both brands is that it builds on existing efforts at the company’s hotel and business units to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion, enabling the company to celebrate the cultural diversity, unique contributions and backgrounds of their global workforces.

“I always tell people when they go on vacation to sit in the employee dining room and they’ll tell you the best places to go,” added Goodman.
Integrating with the community.

In terms of outreach, the Ritz-Carlton engages with the community and partners with UCCI and John E. Cumber plus other schools, sharing with students what running a hotel means. There’s also a scheme called Community Footprints where employees can donate their time to Cayman charities. The Marriott runs a similar scheme called Spirit To Serve the Community.

Soler said that it is important to engage with the community and employ a local workforce to an appropriate level.

“We’re proud of the fact we have 44 nationalities, however, we would love to be able to say as a business that, say, 75 per cent of our workforce is Caymanian. We’re not quite there; however, do we look at where an individual is from when we’re recruiting them? Not necessarily. As long as we can get a permit for that person we welcome them, no matter where they come from in the world. It’s a balance between providing those opportunities and being proud to say we have this diversity,” he said.

The world, it’s often noted, is a smaller place than ever; communication is instant on the Internet and travel is a big part of the vacation culture of most countries. On a local level, says Ebanks, Cayman is a unique case study where multiple backgrounds work together for the benefit of all. “We need people from different nationalities and countries not only to come and work but with them being here, like the States, it creates a melting pot of culture,” he noted.

Like the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, briefing employees on the area and its attractions, people and culture is a vital part of integrating the Alexander Hotel. The days of hotels landing, fully formed, on a destination looking and feeling like an alien spaceship, all interviewees agreed, are over. A new paradigm, Soler explained, is central to a hotel’s approach.

“Key factors are understanding and respecting certain practices that may be of importance to the local community, to be sensitive to local issues such as unemployment and helping to alleviate that burden so we are positively contributing,” he said.

Fundamentally, he continued, the hotels of Cayman share a unique standpoint with the Island itself. The multitude of backgrounds and cultures that go to make up the Cayman Islands workforce, and by extension its daily life, is something worth noting.

“In societies around the world you don’t often find that racial harmony and yet here in the middle of the Caribbean we’ve got all of these people with different values, beliefs and cultures. Although it may be on a very small scale, why can’t it work on a bigger scale?,” he asked.

Why not indeed.

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