Year-end Celebrations Honor Playa Linda’s Best

A formal dinner affair, combined with a ‘touch of Gatsby’, provided a well-deserved celebration for Playa Linda Beach Resort’s outstanding hospitality professionals. The year-end event, held Wednesday in the Marriott Ballroom, featured Great Gatsby glamor and the highlight of an award ceremony that recognized the ‘best of the best’.

After another successful year, during which Playa Linda Beach Resort received both industry honors and rave reviews from guests and members, the entire team received praise for their invaluable contributions. Among its highly-qualified associates, Playa Linda also provided special mention to individuals who truly shined in 2017, naming Mario Tromp, from Front Office, as ‘Rookie of the Year’; Ana Maria Hurtado Espinosa, from Engineering, as ‘Employee of the Year’; Maureen Wong, from Accounting, as ‘Supervisor of the Year’; and Rudolph Schloss, of Loss Prevention, as ‘Contractor of the Year’; with Reservations named as ‘Department of the Year’. Additionally, Luz Marina Duran, of Housekeeping, was awarded the ‘Star Award’.

“It is a difficult task, sometimes, to determine top honors, as we are proud and appreciative of all our team members, who each contribute, in their own way, to a positive guest experience,” explains Human Resource Director Sulaika Kelly. “But this year, we saw great things from Reservations, after having reshaped the department entirely. Mario, Ana Maria and Maureen were natural choices, and Luz Marina is unquestionably a ‘star’ after having earned the high score, an exemplary 94%, on the stringent Certified Room Attendant exam earlier this year. We also decided to extend our awards to a Contractor of the Year, after seeing the excellent achievements Rudolph was able to accomplish within Loss Prevention. Each one of our 2017 winners proved exceptional.”

The awards ceremony was followed by further celebration as animated conversation, and a full dance floor, with live music provided by the D’licious band, continued on through the late evening hours. Employees, management and even Playa Linda Cooperative Association Chairman of the Board Angela Guarino, who was also present, each shared in a memorable evening to help cap a notable year in which Playa Linda Beach Resort remains one of Aruba’s favorite timeshare resorts.