PRESS RELEASE - 2006
Divi Resorts upgrade New developments at this Caribbean resort chain include upgraded wheelchair-accessible dive facilities, a new spa, new bars and restaurants, golf view suites and upgraded and remodeled suites PRESS RELEASE - 2006
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA (June 19, 2006) - Divi Resorts knows the Caribbean! As the only hotel chain made up entirely of Caribbean resorts, visitors to any of the nine Divi Resorts will quickly realize that they are the place for a fun-in-the-sun Caribbean vacation. Continuously striving to offer the best possible vacation experience, there's always something happening at the resorts. Here's the latest news.
Divi Resorts has rolled out a new customer service initiative at all nine of its Divi Resorts with the aim to offer guests the best in Caribbean hospitality. The Give Me Five program reinforces the company's dedication to customer service and encourages guests to interact with resort staff and management to make sure their needs are met. As part of the program, resort staff members are committed to providing guests with five-star customer service, and are empowered to resolve any customer service issues as they arise.
"We have a true passion for the Caribbean and providing guests with the best Caribbean vacation experience possible," says Maarten Van Wijk, the recently appointed executive vice-president of Divi Resorts. "We are not only making significant investments in our resort product this year, we are also putting great emphasis on our employee development and the level of services our guests can expect."
At Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort in Aruba construction is continuing on a new luxury collection of golf view suites. The total project will add 130 golf villas to the existing resort, with approximately half of the units available for guest occupancy by September 2006. The remainder of the project should be completed by the end of 2007. The villas are surrounded by a free-form freshwater swimming pool with swim-up bar (opened in August 2005). The nine-hole Links at Divi Aruba golf clubhouse will open in July 2006 and will feature two new restaurants - the casual Mulligan's Bar & Restaurant and the fine dining restaurant Window's on Aruba, which overlooks the ninth hole with full ocean views.
On February 3, 2006, the Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort in Aruba broke ground on a new development project, which will add 140 suites to the resort's existing 101 units. The new suites will be housed in four eight-story buildings, each featuring studios, one-bedroom suites and two- and three-bedroom penthouses. Each suite will feature a fully equipped kitchen, 32- or 42-inch plasma television, washer dryer combination and well-appointed bath(s) with Jacuzzi tub(s). The project will be built in a single phase construction process with completion scheduled for the end of 2007. Once complete the resort will be the premier property on Palm Beach, offering two tennis courts; a free-form freshwater swimming pool with swim-up bar, waterslide and Jacuzzi; a new open-air grill restaurant; beachside watersports centre; and fitness centre with state-of-the-art equipment.
Guest room renovations continue at the Divi Southwinds Beach Resort in Barbados with all pool and garden view suites to be remodeled by early 2007. All guest suites will be repainted and will receive new windows, kitchen appliances and furnishings in a light-green and blue tropical theme.
In early 2006 a new bar, the Balashi Beach Bar, opened at the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino in Bonaire. Located on the Calabas sun pier, the bar is open daily from 8am-8pm. In January 2006 the resort welcomed its new general manager, Sara Matera, an accomplished restaurateur in Bonaire and recent director of events and project manager at the Aruba Renaissance Beach Resort. The resort's on-site dive centre has added a nitrox system, and to accommodate all divers, including those who are handicapped, the dive dock now has a wider entrance for easier accessibility.
Continuing to provide disabled people with accessibility to scuba diving, Divi Flamingo teamed up with the Underwater Warriors Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Fort Campbell, Tennessee, that helps wounded soldiers. The resort sponsored the visit of John Beville, an American soldier paralyzed from the waist down, and offered him the opportunity to complete his PADI dive certification. A Sergeant First Class with the US Army, Beville served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and as he was preparing to return to Iraq became ill and subsequently paralyzed. Divi Flamingo and its sister dive resort, Divi Tiara Beach Resort, are two of the Caribbean's most handicapped-accessible dive resorts. Divi Flamingo offers eight handicapped-accessible guest rooms and the on-site dive centre offers wheelchair-accessible custom dive boats and specially trained staff able to accommodate disabled divers and their particular needs.
The Divi Tiara Beach Resort in Cayman Brac has renovated six of its one-bedroom suites. The suites will become the premier accommodations at the resort and feature new kitchen appliances and furnishings in a light-green and blue tropical theme. For easier accessibility, the resort's dive dock and dive shed will be rebuilt this year. In early 2006 Divi Dive and Photo Tiara hosted a special group of disabled divers from Colorado, earning the resort national television coverage. The resort features handicapped-accessible rooms, public areas and dive boats, and provides disabled diver assistance by its specially trained dive staff.
Divi Carina Bay Beach Resort & Casino in St Croix opened an on-site spa, the Surfside Spa, in March 2006. Situated on the fourth floor of the resort's newest building, the 1,000-square-foot spa features three treatment rooms and a full menu of spa services, including massages, body scrubs and wraps, facials, pedicures and manicures, as well as special packages featuring treatments plus mimosas, coffee and pastries.
In April 2006 Divi Little Bay Beach Resort in St Maarten welcomed Lou Roelofsen as its new general manager. Roelofsen brings an extensive background in Caribbean hotel and restaurant operations to Divi Little Bay and a commitment to making Divi Little Bay one of the premier resorts in St Maarten. His extensive renovation plans for 2007 include repainting all buildings, upgrading suites with new amenities and converting the hillside casita units to one-bedroom luxury suites. Divi Little Bay is also pleased to announce the addition of John Speetjens, chief engineer, to the management team.
Additional Divi Resorts include Divi Heritage Beach Resort in Barbados and Divi Dutch Village Resort in Aruba.
For more information on Divi Resorts call 1-800-367-3484 or see their listings under accommodations at www.caribbean.com.
Disclaimer: The information in this article/release was accurate at press time; however, we suggest you confirm all details and prices directly with vendors.
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PRESS RELEASE - 2006