PHILIPSBURG:--- Situated at the Head of Town, Joshua Rose Guest House has joined the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), Dollar-A-Day, giving its employees an opportunity to be part of a program that boasts the highest rate of hospitality education on the island.
In welcoming the newest DAD member Director for the SHTA Small Hotels Division Kenrick Housen said Friday the staff of Joshua Rose Guest House can have access to the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) professional certification curriculum for its staff in the area Front Desk Customer Care, Housekeeping, Security, Maintenance and Food & Beverage. The training is designed to be given on the job and can be tailored for Supervisory and Management positions as well.
Manager of Joshua Rose Nadia Gumbs said it has been over six (6) years that she has been a member of the SHTA and it has afforded her the opportunity to promote her 14 Room facility in several regional and international markets. She explained that with the SHTA providing the much needed support that small hotels such as hers need, she is able to concentrate on the business of running the operation.
She explained that with the Dollar-A-Day program, not only facilitating training programs to improve hospitality on St. Maarten but also contributing to the social development of our people through various programs as well as the marketing arm of the program which is key for the destination it made sense that she also joined the program.
The SHTA delivered marketing material to Joshua Rose Guest House in Philipsburg on Thursday this week and also provided training for the staff on how to promote the Dollar-A-Day program and were also given instructions on how the program works. The Dollar-A-Day program or DAD which started in 2000, is a community development program started from the SHTA through which the association identifies social, and educational projects which they can contribute to using funds raised by hotels whose guests give a voluntary donation of a dollar for each night stay at their property.
In the past twelve months over 180 of hotel staff received specialized training following the. The DAD is also used to assist the unemployed on the island through the DIRPIE program which is an initiative by St. Maarten Government to assist unemployed persons within the community with job training programs and paid part time work.