Hotels and tourist accommodations have been reminded of their responsibilities at a series of licensing seminars.
Representatives of the Department of Tourism, Fire Department, the Department of Environmental Health and PRIDE spoke to owners and operators on what is expected from the properties in order to successfully pass inspections and obtain licenses.
They were reminded of key issues such as the fact that non-hotel accommodation licenses run from 1 September to 31 August and that hotel accommodation licenses are from 1 November to 31 October. The inspection period for non-hotels is between 1 May and 15 August and for hotels, 16 August to 15 October. Application fee is $250 plus $25 per extra bedroom. The penalty incurred for renting without a license is $100 a day and Tourist Accommodation Tax is due on the 28th of the month following occupancy reports. Those at the sessions were given the latest inspection guidelines and regulations to refer to.
Other new information was that there is now a handicap data form that hotels are requested to fill in so the Department of Tourism can assess their accessibility and advise potential guests on which hotels are set up for special requirements, plus a form to report how many locals are staying at the property. Food hygiene and fire access were also important parts of the seminar.
Customer service
Janet Holness of PRIDE reminded the hoteliers that high levels of customer service and knowledge of the destination was a vital part of running a tourist business. Being passionate about the product would help sell the product and Cayman has to go the extra mile. She called for staff to sign up for the day-long PRIDE workshop, which she reminded attendees was free of charge.
Shomari Scott, acting director of tourism, said the Department of Tourism was pleased to be involved in hosting the seminar along with the Fire Service and the Department of Environmental Health. He said it was a means of keeping tourism stakeholders informed and up-to-date about the relevant processes and standards involved.
“This exercise [of inspection and licensing] is more than a legal requirement. It is an important part of the Department of Tourism’s role in maintaining the quality of our tourism product and the service we offer to our visitors,” he said.
Sister Islands, too
Anne Bernula, client finance coordinator of Cayman Villas, attended the East End seminar at The Reef Resort. She said it had been a good and informative experience.
“I learned some new information on the requirements, especially for the Department of Tourism and liked the point that PRIDE made about the fact that people did not have to come here.
“There are lots of tropical destinations around the world so it’s important to make every visitor that we deal with know that this island is very friendly, safe, helpful and clean. It is huge because they will tell their friends and maybe come back themselves,” she said.
DerriLee Martin-Rankine, inspections and promotions officer for the Sister Islands, added that so far the licensing process had been going pretty well this year and that new information from the fire service had been put across, for example. The attendances at the seminars had been encouraging, she noted.
“We had great seminars in the Sister Islands, too. We have had wonderful feedback this year. It’s a good opportun`ity to meet people face to face and answer any questions they may have, or something may come up and people will phone or email later [for more information].
“The PRIDE workshops that Janet Holness is holding are doing very well. Some people are kind of laid back but they can see how important it is [to have good customer service] because we have a lot of competition.”
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