Comfort Suites Paradise Island has appointed Jermaine C. Wright as its new General Manager and promoted Shantillya Sands to the position of Assistant General Manager, reporting to Wright.
Wright, a seasoned tourism and hospitality professional, brings to his new post 23 years of experience working with airlines, hotels and resorts. Prior to this new role, he held various positions at the historic British Colonial Hilton in downtown Nassau for 15 years. During his tenure at Hilton, Wright received multiple awards for Sales Performance, RevPAR Growth and Hospitality Leadership. He successfully completed the Hilton Worldwide’s SHINE 4D program in 2011 and a development and training program for general managers in 2014.
Wright received The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s 2007 Cacique Award for Sales Executive of the Year and was a finalist for the 2013 and 2014 Bahamian Icon Awards for Tourism. He holds a Master of Management degree in Hospitality and Tourism from Revans University in Vanuatu, where he graduated with distinction as the Cohort’s Salutatorian in 2011.
Active within the local hospitality industry, Wright is a Director of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association and a Director of the Downtown Nassau Partnership. He was appointed one of the Directors on the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board. He is also President of Hands for Hunger, which assists with efforts to eradicate hunger in the Bahamas.
Sands joined Comfort Suites Paradise Island in 2011 as Sales Manager. Her expertise in strategic management led to increased sales and to her promotion to Director of Sales, where she was also responsible for overseeing the hotel’s marketing and advertising strategies.
A veteran hospitality industry professional, Sands began her career in management positions at Clarion Resort South Ocean and Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas. She began her tenure at Atlantis in the Food and Beverage Department, and rose to Manager of The Marketplace Restaurant, an experience that helped her to play a pivotal role in repositioning Comfort Suites Paradise Island’s Crusoe’s Restaurant as a full-service dining option.
With a degree in English and Communications from the College of The Bahamas, a Hospitality Sales Certificate from Cornell University’s Professional Development Program, and a Specialization in Food and Beverage from the American Hotel and Motel Association, she is also the recipient of the prestigious 2015 Cacique Award for Sales Executive of the Year.
“The appointments of these outstanding professionals will be instrumental in helping to position Comfort Suites Paradise Island as the premier option for discerning, value-conscious travelers visiting our destination,” said William Naughton, owner and managing partner of the property.
The Choice Hotels International Caribbean portfolio currently includes hotels in Aruba, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Guyana, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten.
