Andre James - a humble winner

“There were just so many,” he declared, laughing heartily.

“But, I think, the main one was when I won Employee of the Year in 2012. That was definitely one of the highlights.” Three years later, James, 33, is again in winner’s row - this time as the Trinidad Hotels Restaurants and Tourism Association’s (THRTA’s) Employee of the Year.

In an interview at the hotel on Tuesday, James said he experienced mixed emotions after being announced as the winner of the prestigious award during the association’s second annual awards ceremony at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s, last Saturday night.

“I heard the profiles of the nominees (who had been short-listed for the award) and I thought to myself, ‘They all have good work ethic and were good nominees.’ But then I heard my name called as the winner and I had to get up and walk to collect the award. I was happy, humbled, delighted, thankful, all these good things,” he said.

As a bonus, the former San Juan Secondary School student also was nominated by the THRTA for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Caribbean Employee of the Year award, which was expected to take place in Puerto Rico this weekend.

At the time of the interview on Tuesday, James said he was getting his stuff together - a few Hawaiian shorts and other items of clothing that “would best represent Trinidad and Tobago and the Hyatt.” He also joked that the TT$1,500 Visa Electronic Card he received from Republic Bank in preparation for the Puerto Rico trip as well as a new Samsung S5 mobile phone, courtesy TSTT, were also “firmly secured.” The well-travelled James also has been to the United Kingdom, Boston, Curacao, Barbados and other parts of the Caribbean.

Endowed with a warm and engaging personality, James, who has worked at the Hyatt Regency since its inception in 2007, is among the first group of frontline employees a visitor is likely to meet on entering the hotel’s main entrance.

A senior member of the hotels’ wait staff, the young man’s station is located at the Sushi Bar, just beyond the reception lounge.

James said he thrives in this environment.

“I love my staff and the people that come to the lobby bar area,” he told Sunday Newsday.

“Everybody has a story to listen to. It is like a place away from home.” James’ job involves attending to guests, many of whom are corporate clients, business travellers and visiting dignitaries. On weekends, he also interfaces with connoisseurs, adventure-seekers and families desirous of having some quality time away from home in a deluxe environment.

“I make sure they are all satisfied and comfortable and this has worked well for me at the hotel so far,” he said.

James’ passion, diligence and dedication has not gone unnoticed.

After winning the Hyatt Regency’s Employee of the Year award in 2012, the hotel sent him on a trip to Mexico.

“It was amazing,” he said of the trip.

“I had a choice of any Latin American country and I chose Cancun (capital of Mexico) because the country has a Caribbean-type climate.

Several months ago, apart from his duties as a waiter, James was appointed to train new staff.

His portfolio, he said, includes everything from celebrating staff birthdays to developing motivational programmes for his charges.

The last of seven children, James was raised in a single-parent household in Santa Cruz, where he still lives with his mother.

His father, he said, died when he was ten and about to write the Common Entrance examination (now Secondary Entrance Assessment).

Although there were some tough times, James said, his mother held the family together.

In fact, he likened his experience at the Hyatt Regency over the past eight years to the homely atmosphere he had known for much of his youth.

“Everybody is like a family here (Hyatt) and that is what I like because I am a family person. So, it is easy to match both,” he said.

At age 17 and fresh out of high school, James decided to enter the hospitality industry.

He revealed that he had also loved journalism but felt the hotel sector offered more opportunities for personalised interactions.

James said he learnt the rudiments of the industry in an eightmonth training programme at Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s, before moving on to several restaurants, including Botticelli’s, Chaconia Inn, Ruby Tuesday and Shanghai.

For the ever-smiling James, though, the job is not simply about providing a service but engaging the client wholeheartedly.

“I am always inquisitive.

When I come to work on an evening, I try to find out what their day was like and what they did like and I always recommend the Hyatt brand,” he said James said the interactions were two-fold.

“I have learnt about different countries, different cultures and if there is a lone traveller who might ask what is there to do at night or day in the country, I recommend Maracas, especially for the bake and shark and a number of our prime restaurants, apart from the Hyatt, of course,” he said with a laugh.

As far as possible, James said he also tries to commit the names of his clients to memory — an action which he said, has served him in good stead.

And a few of his clients have also remembered him.

“When we had the Fifth Summit of the Americas in 2009, I dealt with many foreign officials and some of them have come back and remembered me by name,” he said.

Developing close working relationships with clients augurs well for the success of any business, he said.

James advised young people wishing to enter the hospitality industry to be humble and willing to listen, heed advice and learn.

“If you don’t understand something, you ask questions,” he said.

“I didn’t know everything and I started off asking questions, watching, observing.

You may not get the answer that you want but be persistent.” Punctuality, he said, was a must.

For now, the self-professed social media junkie is revelling in the accolades that have continued to pour in from his family, colleagues and friends.

He said he was also gearing up for a trip to Miami in November as part of his annual vacation plans.

As for his future plans, James said he was hoping to be promoted to a managerial position at the Hyatt.

“No one really knows what the future holds but I think I can be a manager. Once there is a vacancy, I think, given my experience, that I am well able to fill it,” he said.

Model Employee: Hyatt Regency Hotel employee Andre James... winner of the Trinidad Hotels Restaurants and Tourism Association’s Employee of the Year award. PHOTO BY Roger Jacob