Jhadijah Caley

During my time shadowing the managers of the two departments that I chose, I got to learn a lot about WOW factors. Wow, Factors creates a service experience that leaves the guest saying,” Wow, that’s cool.”

I experienced a wow factor upon arrival and departure from Beaches, Ocho Rios resort. As I mentioned in another blog, we had a hearty welcome with the music, drinks, and sesame street characters. Although that left smiles on our faces from the beginning, the card we received with a group picture and a message inside left me with,” oh wow.”

I have never visited any hotel or resort that would sing a goodbye song on the departure of their guests.

This was special, and I appreciated it to the point that I placed the card in my foyer. 😆

For some of us, it is a challenge to meet new people; I would have never thought that a group of strangers in the same age group as me would have so much influence over my life. I love meeting new people and learning about the things they are interested in, how they influence how they live their lives, and also some things we have in common.

This study abroad program created bonds and connections I pray never to lose. Having several social relationships can open your heart and mind to many things beyond your wildest dreams!

Thank you, Professor Dodge and Dawn, for being there with us every step of the way, and thank you, my classmates, for showing love and compassion! Your guys are incredible.❤️

I would lie if I said I was not there for the food. An all-inclusive resort with different restaurants you can eat at is in my top two.

From Jamaican cuisine to Mediterranean cuisine and French cuisine, you can not beat that. I sure did eat and drink anything that was accessible to me.

We had breakfast every day to get our days started with a great foundation, but I am not into breakfast as much, but I would always go and get some fresh fruits from the buffet I loved. Later, lunch was provided at the buffet and night dinner, so we ate around the clock!

I was in hog heaven:)

Our itinerary for this trip was completely booked! We had a time set  to engage with our different departments, and after, we had time to ourselves to enjoy the resort 🙂

However, on this particular day, we said, ” All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” because this day was an adventure!

First, we got on a Catamaran, where we went snorkeling; it was so fun because I am an island girl, so jumping in the Caribbean sea made me feel like I was at home in the Turks and Caicos Islands. After the snorkeling activity, we went to Dunns River Falls, which was great! I had visited the falls before but had yet to reach the top, but this time, I did!

After the Falls, our ride back to the resort was grand! We sure danced and enjoyed ourselves; letting our hair down and enjoying the spring break festivities felt great.

Later that night, we visited the Luminous Lagoon (The brightest one of the four found in the world); this was an experience as I had never seen anything like this before in my entire life.

As I mentioned in my other blog post, learning never ends. While we visited these unique natural points, we were educated by the many tour guides knowledgeable about the different areas.

I advise anyone to visit JA and visit these spots.

My expectations of this trip were just fun. While the presence of fun was not absent, nor was the presence of learning. Before the trip, we got to choose from several departments in the Beaches, Ocho Rios resort, to shadow a manager to get insights on their daily task to keep their departments functioning successfully. I had the privilege of following Ms. Cion for the first two days in the concierge department, and for the last two days, I was in Loyalty and Travel, where I connected with Mr. Willie.

This was a life-changing experience for me. I gained much valuable information from the managers of the two departments and their staff; they treated me as if I were family. I admire their values, and it explains the success of the resort.

Also, as I said, we still were having fun … we did some touring with Ms. Lindsay, an amazinggggg lady!

We got to tour the Sandals resorts and ate some fantastic food! This was a great day also; I love to tour resorts 🙂

My first day on the Hospitality in the Caribbean study abroad program was GREAT! At the airport, I got to meet some of the most amazing individuals with whom I hope to maintain friendships over the years to come!

Our flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica, from Fort Lauderdale, was about an hour and some change, the flight was really smooth, and we arrived relatively quickly. After clearing customs and immigration, we were greeted by individuals who worked for Beaches, Ocho Rios and transported to the resort 🙂

The ride was long, but when we arrived at the resort, we were greeted with the BEST! Sesame street, cold towels, drinks, and SERVICE! It was lovely to see how the managers and staff of Beaches, Ocho Rios welcomed us!

But that’s not the best best part. The resort’s managers and staff held a welcome dinner for us on the beach with nothing but authentic Jamaican food, drinks, and music! I must admit, this was the highlight of my trip!