RockResorts Names Two New GMs in Caribbean

RockResorts Names Two New GMs in Caribbean
 
RockResorts announces the appointment of two new general managers at its resorts in St. Lucia, West Indies and Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. Joe Kelley, a 16-year veteran of the hospitality industry is the new general manager of The Landings St. Lucia, A RockResort, while Pedro Sanchez will take the reins as general manager of Balcones del Atlántico, A RockResort, which is celebrating its grand opening this summer.

Joe Kelley joined the RockResorts family in 2007 and has served as hotel manager of The Osprey at Beaver Creek in Beaver Creek, Colo. and director of hotel operations at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa in Santa Fe, N.M. Previous to joining RockResorts, Kelley spent eight years with Sandals Resorts, holding management positions at Caribbean locales, including Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort, Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort & Spa, and Sandals Antigua Beach Resort & Spa.

Previously, Kelley gained leadership and food and beverage experience during tenures held at Radisson Aruba Caribbean Resort, and The Elms Resort, Conference Center and Spa in Excelsior Springs, Mo. Kelley holds a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.

Pedro Sanchez most recently served as the general manager for Hotel Paracas, A Luxury Collection Resort in Paracas, Peru. During his tenure, he oversaw the entire opening operation and developed key resort concepts with the ownership. Prior to that, Sanchez was the pre-opening director of operations at The Westin Roco Ki in Punta Macao, Dominican Republic, where he supervised the construction site and acted as a liaison to the corporate office.

A long-time resident of the Dominican Republic, Sanchez also held additional management positions in Pylsa Dominicana, Paradisus Punta Cana, Bávaro Convention Center and Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort. Sanchez holds a diploma in hotel management from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and is fluent in Spanish.

Balcones del Atlántico, A RockResort, will celebrate its grand opening this summer in the small fishing village of Las Terrenas on the Samaná Peninsula of the Dominican Republic. The beachfront resort will feature 86 two- and three-bedroom villa suites, two pools with a swim-up bar, and gourmet restaurant, Porto. In keeping with the RockResorts tradition, the property will incorporate the company’s environmental programs, as well as offer guests the opportunity for eco-tourism and whale-watching programs.

The Landings St. Lucia, A RockResort, is the most luxurious full-service resort of its size on the island, spanning 19 acres and nearly 800 feet of St. Lucia’s beachfront. The Landings offers 122 one-, two-, and three-bedroom villa suites, each boasting a fully-equipped kitchen and two large balconies or landscaped terrace, many with heated, jetted plunge pools. The resort offers a private yacht harbor, two tennis courts, three pools and a 7,000 square-foot RockResorts Spa.