Q & A with Leonardo Canino VillarAssistant General Manager of Tryp Peninsula Varadero Hotel in Cuba

by Daysi Aportela

In en exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital, Mr. Canino, one of the founders of the Gaviota S.A. Group, talked proudly about the many allures and conveniences this gorgeous resort has to offer in Cuba´s Varadero Beach. The Tryp Peninsula Varadero Hotel has nabbed several awards and prizes. The latest recognition is the National Quality Award bestowed by the Republic of Cuba.

Mr, Canino, we know that this hotel has won several awards and prizes lately. Could you speak a little bit this aspect that highlights the lodging´s top-notch service and major achievements?

So far this year, especially in the month of April, our hotel grabbed the Matanzas 2004 Provincial Quality Award during the first edition of the prize, and we shared top honors with SEPSA and the Victoria de Giron Citrus Fruit Processing Plant. More recently, we walked out with the National Quality Award of the Republic of Cuba, that unlike previous editions, was solely granted to our establishment.

I must say we´ve worked a whole lot harder this year in order to obtain those prizes. I should also say that requirements for this year´s contest were tougher. And we´re very thrilled with the end result because it speaks volumes of the tremendous effort we´ve made to come this far. All employees at the Tryp Peninsula Hotel are the true winners of this recognition, of the National Quality Award.

You bet this recognition is quite a major push for the hotel´s entire payroll. So that means you´ll be aiming much higher from now on, am I right?

Absolutely. We´re now trying to lock on the Grand Iberian American Quality Prize due to be announced during this year´s Summit of Iberian American Heads of State and Government. We´ll enter that contest with the support of Cuba´s National Quality Award that we mentioned at the top of this interview.

This is a tremendous challenge for our company and we´re tagging along harder than ever before to win that award in the short run. We´re paying a lot of heed to environmental management programs and the implementation of a comprehensive managerial system that will deal with a number of important issues, such as healthcare, safety in the workplace. We have to make good on the ISO 9001 standardization certificate that we received in the year 2000. The Tryp Peninsula Varadero was the first hotel ever to get the ISO certification. Now we want to stretch it out to drinks and food, and we´ve got a couple of other certifications in sights: the ISO 14 000 and ISO 18 000 dealing with environmental matters and workplace safety.

Mr. Canino, can we look back to your career and working experience for a while?

I´m one of the founders of the Gaviota S.A. travel company back in 1990. I started out in Topes de Collantes and then I took a special course on Hotel Management in Havana. I worked for nearly a year and a half at a hotel run by the Spain-based Sol Meliá Group in the eastern province of Holguin, and I served a tenure at the LTI Varadero Beach Resort. In July 2003, I started acting as Assistant General Manager of the Tryp Peninsula Varadero Hotel, and here I am now.

We also know this is one of the hotels that has sported a high occupancy rate for most of this year. What can you say about that?

Indeed, we´ve surpassed all of our expectations. We´ve had over one thousand guests so far this year, and even 2004 appeared to be an unmatchable year for us. However, 2005 has put much bigger numbers on the board, both in occupancy and revenues. As you can see, those are pretty strong figures.

Any perspectives as far as expansion or new services are concerned?

As we speak, we´re weighing new investment possibilities in the hotel in a bid to raise quality and put more services, chiefly in terms of food and drinks. We´re also roofing the theater and trying to do our best the best way we know how to enhance our offers and meet the needs of all guests.