Q & A with Ewald BiemansOwner of the Bucuti Beach Resort Aruba and Chairman of the island´s FAM Trips

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

The Bucuti Beach Resort Aruba boasts average occupancy rates of 90 percent and has grabbed a number of major international awards for its environment-friendly policies. Even Green Globe, the Caribbean Hotels Association and the International Hotels & Restaurants Association have praised the lodging for a job well done.

About the main features that tell this establishment apart, and its many projects for the near future, Caribbean News Digital talked exclusively with Ewald Biemans, owner and general manager of the hotel.

Q.- Can you tell us briefly how you cut your teeth in the travel industry and how you´ve developed your own hotel?

A.- I started out in the travel industry through my parents. They were both hoteliers. I studied hotel management in the U.S. and worked in Venezuela and Guyana. Some 35 years ago I arrived in Aruba and I began working in the foodstuff and beverage business. Later on, I received the opportunity of opening up my own hotel and I built it in 1987. Now I´ve just added 41 suites in a new building built next to it.

Q.- How many rooms does your hotel have?

A.- 104 rooms.

Q.- What are the top prizes your hotel has received?

A.- We´ve been very lucky in this respect because we´ve won a number of awards and prizes. One of the greatest came when I was named the 2002 Caribbean Hotelier of the Year, awarded by the Caribbean Hotels Association (CHA). We´ve also nabbed a number of ecological awards doled out by CHA, Green Globe and the International Hotels & Restaurants Association.

Q.- What´s the hotel´s average occupancy rate?

A.- We´ve kept an average 90 percent occupancy rate through all these years, except in 2001 because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. when that indicator dropped to 89 percent.

Q.- What countries chip in the largest chunk of guests to your hotel?

A.- Approximately half of all our guests are U.S. honeymooners and the remaining 50 percent hails from Europe, especially from Holland, Scandinavia, Germany, UK, Austria and Switzerland.

Q.- Your hotel is run under a natural concept that has also reached out to the rooms. How can you achieve that?

A.- Well, all materials used in building this hotel were recycled. All woodworks, for instance, are made of natural wood that has been carved. We barely use plastics in the hotel. We use no chemicals at all, only natural products. That´s a conservation and health-oriented policy that involves employees and guests alike because none of them are exposed to hazardous materials or chemicals. That´s what we do.

Q.- Golden Tulip has been your reservation call center. Are you still with them?

A.- Sure, we´re affiliated to Golden Tulip as a franchise because Golden Tulip is no doubt a boldface name in Europe

Q.- What will you suggest Caribbean hoteliers to do in order to get more exposure in Europe and have more faith in the European market?

A.- First of all, that they need to attend these fairs, events like FITUR, ITB or the World Travel Market in London. They need to know who the tour operators are, and invite member of the press to visit their countries. That´s the best way to make potential travelers be aware of the charms their region has to offer. That´s the best way to connect an European country with a Caribbean island.