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Roots in Mexico
Founded in 1985, Palace Resorts got its start with Moon Palace in
Cancún, Mexico. As the business flourished, the company built three
more resorts in Cancún and expanded to Playa del Carmen, Isla
Mujeres, and Cozumel.
The developer purchased the former Sunset Jamaica Grande in
Ocho Rios in 2014. “It took about a year or so to rebuild it,” says
Clifton Reader, director of operations and general manager. “They
totally gutted and transformed the property.”
Moon Palace Jamaica Grande has an unbeatable location on the
white sands of Jamaica’s north coast. Its 17 acres (7 hectares) are
packed with amenities, including five swimming pools with waterfalls
and swim-up bars, and a 35,000-square-foot (3,252 square meters)
wellness sanctuary incorporating the largest spa in Jamaica and a
state-of-the-art gym. Guests at the all-inclusive resort can choose
from Asian, French, and Italian fare, as well as a waterside steakhouse,
alfresco gourmet seafood, and, of course, traditional Jamaican and
Caribbean cuisine. The complex also features snack bars and casual
restaurants; a piano bar; a chic nightclub, NOIR; a kids’ club; the
WIRED lounge for teens; the FlowRider Double wave simulator; and a
dolphin habitat, right on property. The resort is easily accessible from
the Montego Bay airport.
Investing in People
When Palace Resorts bought the Sunset Jamaica Grande, “It was the
first hotel in Jamaica, to my knowledge, that changed hands and re-
tained all employees,” Reader says. “The hotel had been in operation
for 30 years, and many of the employees had been there a long time.”
Some of the 200 employees were immediately sent to Mexico to
learn the Palace Resorts method of providing hospitality. Anyone in
training or working on-site in Jamaica was paid their full salary, while
awaiting training or for the renovations to be completed, Reader ex-
plains. “But everyone—everyone!—had insurance coverage, and that
was a big plus for the employees and their families. That says a lot
about the kind of brand that Palace Resorts is.”
That fits with Palace Resorts’ overall philosophy, in which employee
development and cultivation are key components. The company
offers ongoing instruction for every position, language lessons (includ-
ing Spanish, English, and Portuguese), and a career-path program
that allows the company to identify potential and promote from within.
Palace Resorts retains all staff year-round—even in the low season—
rather than laying off employees when business is slow. The company
enjoys high loyalty and exceptionally low turnover, Reader notes.
Training teams are on-site, as is the practice in Palace Resorts’
Mexican properties. Even the chefs go through a rotation to ensure their
skills remain sharp. “This is one of the things we’re doing to make sure
our employees are ready to take on more responsibilities as we grow,”
says Reader. “And we feel we are helping fulfill our responsibility to them.”
If the hospitality industry grows as observers expect it will, expe-
rienced and competent employees will be difficult to recruit and to
keep, Reader reasons. “We want to train our employees so that they
are slightly overqualified for what they’re doing. Then, we can see their
potential; see the opportunity for them to be promoted.”
Cross-Cultural Exchange
Reader was among the first wave of employees who traveled to the
Palace Resorts facilities in Mexico for orientation, which typically lasts
two weeks to a month. “We went in groups of 30, and we expected to
be met by some of the staff. But the entire family structure came out
to greet us, and that dispelled any doubt that we were really welcome
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Investing in
EMPLOYEES
APRIL – JUNE 2017 RESORTDEVELOPER.COM VACATION INDUSTRY REVIEW
ENSURES SUCCESS
Moon Palace Jamaica Grande is Palace Resorts’ newest property—and its first
outside of Mexico. The resort—with 40 percent of its 730 units part of the vacation
club—has a tantalizing array of physical advantages: the longest stretch
of private shoreline in Ocho Rios, the only FlowRider Double wave simulator in
Jamaica, and a dazzling top-to-bottom renovation. But its staff is its most treasured
asset, and where owner Palace Resorts plans to invest most heavily.
BY CATHERINE LACKNER
MOON PALACE
JAMAICA GRANDE