Tourism
Rachel Browne General Manager
I
t is not very often that you find a General Manager (GM) of a five star resort in the Caribbean that is female, and more over a ‘local girl’.
We did however, in meeting the GM of the internationally acclaimed Hermitage Bay, located in Jennings Antigua.
Rachel Browne who is a Vincentian by birth, but Antiguan by Marriage has held this extremely demanding and high profile position for the last three years – having joined the company as the Assistant Manager a year prior. Under her management the property has won international recognition including; copping the number 2 spot in Brides’ Magazine Top 10 Sexiest Resorts in the World, Conde Nast World Traveller US Hot Spa List and most recently being Listed on CNN’s top ten most Romantic Caribbean Destination.
The decision to pursue a degree in Tourism and Hospitality management was; according to Browne an easy and natural one – at least for her. There were family members, friends and educators who did not understand why she did not want to go off and pursue Law, Accounting and the host of other disciplines which her peers were going off to study.
66 | BusinessFocus • June/July 2011
As Browne puts it “back in the early 90’s Tourism was not big in her native SVG and it was just not the thing which we as young students were encouraged to pursue”. She adds that professions in the hotel industry were even looked down upon in some quarters. Nonetheless, with a supportive mother and a scholarship from USAID she completed tertiary level education in the USA – obtaining degrees in Tourism and Hospitality Management and Eco-Tourism.
She brings to the table a wealth of experience, having served at some high profile properties such as Young Island, Cotton House - Mustique, and Palm Island . She also headed the efforts of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Tourism working out of their UK office directing the marketing and sales in the UK and Europe. This position she held for five years. Co-owner of the property Andy Thesen says of her, “Rachel’s youthful energy and dynamic personality made her a natural selection for her role as GM. Her hospitality experience and local prospective gives us a competitive edge.”
In a role which is so demanding and requires such a personal presence and an ‘on the stage’ type of commitment , I was curious
to find out how Browne deals with the high pressures of running a world class property and being a wife and mother to a six year old girl. To that she responds, “Thank God for a very understanding husband and one who is very involved in the day to day goings-on of our household’. A typical day for Browne starts at 5:00am and she is on the job by 8:30 am most days.
Her work day could be anywhere from 9 – 14 hours depending on what is happening on property for that day. “This job is the type of job you have to really love for you to do it and do it successfully. You have to love people. Each day is a new challenge – making sure that what you are doing – is pleasing to many different people. It could be overwhelming at times, but I would not choose to do anything else.”
Like all professional women,
finding the balance between family life and the professional life is key to her overall effectiveness on both fronts. This balance is found by making sure she finds time for herself and for her family.
“It could be thirty
minutes locked away watching National Geographic or a fishing trip with the clan,” Browne says.
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