It has been almost a year since Garry Burgess at the Newstead-Belmont Hills Resort was named “Best of the Best” in the hospitality industry, yet he’s still putting in 12 hour days, six days a week.  After 29 years in the business he has earned the right to take it easy, but so far he hasn’t.

“Garry is the ultimate employee,” says Newstead-Belmont owner Kevin Petty.  “He’s happy all the time, treats everyone the same – always.  He’s the most upbeat human being I know!”

Mr. Burgess is human resources manager and property manager for Mr. Petty’s resort.  The HR part of the job involves 100 employees; the property side includes a golf course, a two year-old hotel and a collection of small private properties.  Not to mention the odd occasion when Mr. Burgess fixes an air conditioner or shuttles a guest down the road because there’s a shortage of taxis.

The hospitality standout was one of a record 540 industry nominees last year, 54 of which became finalists.   There were 18 eventual winners.  Only one of them earned the right to be called “Best of the Best”, complete with a $20,000 award check.

The event is formally called the Visitor Industry Partnership Excellence Awards (VIP); BELCO is main sponsor.  It’s a black tie affair for Bermuda’s finest hospitality workers.   Nominations for the 2010 VIP Awards are flowing in now for the big night in April.

Mr. Burgess says it was “a nice gesture” to be recognized by his peers.  He has spent the past year on the receiving end of “a lot of accolades from a lot of people”.

The kind of “can-do” spirit Mr. Burgess exemplifies is not uncommon among staff at Newstead-Belmont.  Many of the employees step outside of their job descriptions to do whatever is deemed necessary to satisfy a guest.  It’s a message handed down from the top.

“We continue to train the employees – the general manager, the manager, even the owner.  We all get in there.  They know that when there’s a problem Mr. Burgess is going to come whether it’s 3, 4, or 5 in the morning.  I let them see how we handle the guests, how we listen to the guests.

“We also teach them how to recognize people.  When you see a thousand people you need a skill to recognize them.  So we teach them how to remember the guests’ names and they do that really well.

“Our policy for guests is: this is your home away from home.  So we drive that into our staff.  These aren’t just guests, they are part of our family.”

VIP aims to elevate the work of Mr. Burgess and those like him in the hospitality industry to keep other workers motivated toward excellence.  The glitz and glamour of the VIP Awards and the $20,000 bonus check go some distance toward recruiting new talent into the industry as well.

As for Mr. Burgess he’s been too busy to spend the 20 grand he won last year. “It’s for my retirement,” he said.  Although, as much as he likes to work, it may be a while before retirement day arrives.