home
It was an unusual situation for Grenada’s top luxury
resort, but it comes under the mandate of accommodating guests’ requests, even
if they don’t fit within the brochure offerings. Some of Nerissa’s other
memorable stories include reassuring anxious parents about leaving their
children at the Nutmeg Pod or having a somewhat eccentric guest insist
that she – and only she – rub sun tan oil on his back. Or how about having to
put a finger on ice after a guest snapped it off on a beach chair? Or rescuing
nude sunbathers -- draped in palm fonds -- who lock themselves out of their
rooms?
A third-generation hotelier, Nerissa Hopkin advises
“Don’t even think about getting into this business if you don’t really like
people. You have to be willing to work, because it can be a 24/7/365. And you
have to be prepared to serve. Working in the hotel industry is all about
building relationships.”
Nerissa was weaned on the hotel industry, starting
at the Ross Point Inn, run by her grandparents, Curtis and Audrey. Along with
older brother Ryan and younger sister Janelle, the hotel property was their
playground. At a young age she was serving drinks at her parent’s cocktail
parties and helping out where she could. “I have such wonderful memories of
growing up and you can’t replace those. As children we got to interact with the
guests. Some of them have been coming here for years and they remember me as a
young child.”
Working in the hotel industry came naturally to
Nerissa. “Frankly, I don’t know what else I would want to do. The idea of some
other kind of career never really crossed my mind.” So it is not surprising
that she opted for hotel management at George Brown College in Toronto and later
went to Strayer University in D.C.
Then she returned to the family business where she
worked her way up from being an Assistant to the General Manager in food and
beverage to being the Assistant Manager in the rooms and front office
departments. “For my creative side, I like to play with concepts and ideas, so
that is where marketing comes in.”
Fourteen and a half years later she is a director
and works side-by-side with her father, Sir Royston Hopkin K.C.M.G. She is
being groomed to take on even more responsibilities.
When Nerissa was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,
she was advised to cut back on her 14 to 16 hour days. She finds it difficult
to step aside and rest, but is heartened by the support of her family, the
management team and the staff at the resort. When she has the luxury of some
free time she enjoys spending it with family and friends. “I like to have
people over to my house. But I also appreciate going out for a good meal,
complete with the right wine. And I enjoy concerts and theatre.” She
also helps out at the Queen Elizabeth Home for Children when she can. “The
children there are so sweet. And they appreciate the things we do for them.
There is one particular little boy whom I would love to adopt.”
Plans? In all probability Nerissa will continue to
evolve with the Spice Island Beach Resort: Their destinies are intertwined and
it is difficult to imagine one without the other
Jody Hanson, Ph.D
Writer
Writer
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