Three Questions With Hyatt Regency Trinidad’s Russell George

Regency Trinidad’s general manager Russell George plans to leverage changing trends in the industry to better suit guests, from incorporating leisure activities into business travel and utilizing social media.

How does Hyatt Regency Trinidad help guests incorporate leisure activities into their business travel?
We have partnered with a local tour operator to provide our guests with curated experiences that align with what each guest is looking for. These excursions can be arranged as group trips that can take place during meetings, offering a change of pace and setting, or can be arranged for groups as small as two people as a leisure activity. Examples of excursions we offer include day trips to Tobago, discounted rounds of golf, and visits to unique landmarks including Maracas Beach, Caroni Swamp or Pitch Lake. Our concierge is equipped to work with the meeting planner or guest to arrange these activities.

With so many digital platforms available to hotel marketers, how are you using digital marketing and social media to drive global traffic to the hotel?
Social media is a great tool if you use it correctly. Our marketing team is active on our social media platforms throughout the day to ensure we engage with guests, field requests and respond to inquiries in a timely manner. We also monitor when a guest mentions our hotel online; whether it is a compliment or a concern, we always thank those who take their time to give us feedback and focus on responding to all guest inquiries. We want to provide our guests with the best experience possible, so it is important that we keep a constant and effective line of communication with them. We understand that it is important to stay up-to-date with marketing, social media and technology trends, which is why our marketing team takes part in social media and digital marketing training sessions throughout the year.

According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, despite political, security and economic uncertainties and challenges in its main source markets, the Caribbean saw tourism increasedby 4.2% in 2016. How does Hyatt Regency Trinidad plan to leverage this performance in 2017?
The Caribbean is a popular destination among travelers because of the beautiful weather and beaches in conjunction with a diverse culture. Trinidad is especially popular because of Carnival, which attracts revelers from across the globe each year. As one of the Caribbean’s leading business hotels, and also the host of one of the largest and most-anticipated fetes during Carnival season, LIME, we have a diverse audience from the revelers and vacationers to business travelers. The key is creating the ideal balance that will appeal to all types of travelers and make them feel as if everything we do is specifically for them, from the rooms to the amenities to the F&B. Guest satisfaction is our number one priority.