The 8th annual Crystal Pineapple Awards Gala Event, held on Friday November 22nd 2013 by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, was a grand success. The evening saw 19 persons receive awards in the categories of Accommodations, Trade, Community Service and Extra-Ordinary awards. SHTA extends congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the 8th annual Crystal Pineapple Awards.
Guests were treated to a visual oasis of turquoise, blue, white and chocolate brown decorations done by the Artemia. The Crystal Pineapple Awards Gala Organizing Committee and SHTA Board would like to extend their appreciation to Artemia for once again providing the décor for the event.
The gala event was held at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino which has been the host venue for many years to the event. In addition to providing the venue, the resort also prepared a sumptuous and elaborate culinary extravaganza which included six live food stations, expertly prepared dishes such as a giant Paella, Peking Duck wrapped in Chinese pancakes, salt crusted baked Red Snapper filet, Chateau Briand and a sumptuous dessert selection ranging from an array of cheeses to Sonesta’s International and Local signature pastries.
The Master of Ceremonies for the evening Leroy Brooks, also known as King Beau Beau, expertly tied together the various segments of the award show and brought the right mix of comic relief and announcements to the event.
The Honorable Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs Patricia Lourens presented the extraordinary award for ‘Best Educational Innovation’ to SIMARC. The Honorable Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications Ted Richardson presented the ‘Outstanding Tourism Industry Award” to Interval International and the ‘Most innovative product/idea/service Award’ to St. Maarten Recycling. The President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell presented the ‘Tourism Ambassador Award’ to Dino Jagtani. This years’ SHTA Person of the Year Award went to Mr. Jan Beaujon who received this award for his many years of unwavering service within the banking industry and the community of St. Maarten.
Other presenters for the evening were predominantly members of the board and several selected persons within the community. The evening ended with the wonderful melodic sounds of Control Band. Guests were seen dancing the night away to a combination of zouk, bachata and soca.
SHTA would like to thank all those that were involved in organizing the event. A special Thank You goes out to the sponsors: Artemia, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino, Interval International, Discovery Network, GEBE, Prime Distributors, Autobev, Guavaberry, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pete’s Photo, Caribbean Liquors & Tobacco and all the persons/companies who donated items to the raffle and the silent auction.
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Restaurant Awards
Employee of the Year
Paul Peterson – Temptation
Manager/Supervisor of the Year
Juan Miguel Philips – Domino’s Pizza
Restaurateur of the Year
Mark van Dam – Mark’s Place
Trade Awards
Employee of the Year
Kimasha Williams – St. Maarten Medical Center
Supervisor of the Year
Catherine Harris – Aqua Mania Adventures
Manager of the Year
Michele Korteweg – St. Maarten Yacht Club/Heineken Regatta
Sales Person of the Year
Barbara Warren – The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa
Accommodation Awards
Employee of the Year
Annesha York – Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino
Supervisor of the Year
Sherille Gibbes – Royal Islander Club La Plage
Departmental Manager of the Year
Cindy Campbell – Oyster Bay Beach Resort
Timeshare Sales Executive of the Year
Nina Persaud – Royal Islander Club La Plage & La Terasse
Best Educational Innovation Award
St. Maarten Archeological Center SIMARC
Public Media Award
The Today Newspaper
Tourism Ambassador Award
Dino Jagtani
Outstanding Community Service Achievement Award
Sharmaine Olivacce – Voice of Our Children
Most Innovative Product/Service/Idea Award
St. Maarten Recycling
Outstanding Environmental Achievement Award
Jadira Veen
SHTA Person of the Year Award
Jan Beaujon