'Hotelier of the Year' to Antiguan manager

By Janet Silvera, Freelance Writer

Rob Sherman (centre), Caribbean Hotelier of the Year, holds his Golden Conch Award; while being flanked by Jim Pepperdine (left), former Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) President and Ralph Taylor, President of CHA. - Contributed

FAJARDO, Puerto Rico:

ROB SHERMAN, managing director of Curtain Bluff Hotel in Antigua, has received the prestigious Golden Conch Award. The honour was presented to the "Hotelier of the Year" by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), at the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC 2001) recently.

Five distinguished Jamaican hoteliers Heinz E.W. Simonitsch, Ken Kennedy, Jag Metha, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart and John Issa have won the prestigious award in the past.

The Conch Award was established by Jim Pepperdine, vice-president of Yesawich, Pepper-dine & Brown (YP&B), and is given each year to the region's most outstanding hotelier. In responding to the award Robert Sherman told The Gleaner, "...this is really not for me, it is all for my staff, they are the ones who deserve this award, I am humbled."

YP&B sponsors the "Hotelier of the Year" award to recognise those hoteliers who are working within CHA to help promote industry growth. The Golden Conch honours individuals who have maintained a successful hotel operation and participated in CHA, while also showing dedication to both their local hotel and tourism industry.

"Rob Sherman is an industry leader and role model to hotel owners throughout the region," said John Bell, director general and CEO of CHA. "He has dedicated his efforts to improving training and education standards for the Caribbean tourism industry, and these should serve as an example for all in our sector."

Sherman acts as a direct liaison between CHA and the islands of Antigua, Anguilla and St. Kitts & Nevis. In this role, he is the main contact person for co-ordinating communication between the members in these countries and CHA. In addition, he represents CHA at national association meetings and acts as the public relations spokesperson in his assigned region.

Mr. Sherman began his career in the hotel industry managing Glacier Bay Lodge in Alaska for a summer. Afterward, he moved to the Caribbean region, where he first served as resident manager of Curtain Bluff Hotel. Then he served as general manager of Cotton Bay Club in Eleuthera, The Bahamas, for two years, after which he returned to Antigua as managing director of Mill Reef Club for six years. In 1987, he returned to Curtain Bluff in his current position as managing director. Sherman is a trustee of CHA's Caribbean Hospitality Training Institute (CHTI), a director for Antigua on the CHA board of directors and chairman of Antigua Sailing Week.

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