As Coconut Court Beach Hotel celebrates 50 years in the business, it is important to understand the significance of this milestone and applaud them for all they have overcome to reach it.
When Charlie Blades and his wife Lorraine purchased what was called The Coconut Court Beach Hotel back in 1975, they did it with hearts full of optimism and a very clear vision in mind. The Blades’ saw the opportunity of a lifetime when then owner of The Coconut Court, Happy Apthorpe, wanted to get the property off his hands to return to his native England to enjoy retirement. Happy became acquainted with Charlie and Lorraine as they were frequent visitors to the resort, and over time grew very fond of Charlie. With the help of monetary investment from family and friends, coupled with the sale of their own property White Sands located in St Lawrence Gap, they were able to meet Happy’s price and assume ownership of The Coconut Court, which they rebranded slightly.
As far as hotels go, Coconut Court is a household name in Barbados and has stood the test of time especially as a fully family-owned and -operated enterprise. They have remained lucrative and relevant due to positive reviews on sites such as Tripadvisor in addition to substantial business in the form of repeat visitors. General Manager Jason Lampkin, his wife Linda and her brother Mark Blades form the management team. Jason and Linda’s son and daughter Laurence and Kim, Mark’s son Nelson, and Katy, the daughter of Mark and Linda’s eldest brother James, have all come on board as committed employees to represent the third generation of Blades’ and Lampkins who are the future of the company.
The family-oriented atmosphere within Coconut Court is very real and palpable to those who enter the establishment. This is one of the keys to it’s success as the ideology of hard work, dedication to delivering impeccable service and the care and proper treatment of employees passed down from Charlie and Lorraine have remained intact and represent the general ethos amongst management and staff members alike. As they look towards their next milestone, the Coconut Court Beach Hotel family have more than earned their current celebrations and should be applauded for decades of exemplary service.
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