Wendel Richards Of Potters Village Is Top Employee At Sandals

Wendel Richards, a butler at Sandals Antigua, is a true hospitality professional; he is the
resort’s Diamond Team Member of 2019, the highest employee accolade on property.
An engraved acrylic award, stay for two for five nights at another Sandals resort and a
42” flat screen SMART television are among the many prizes he won.

By winning this award, Richards is now a contender for the Ultimate Team Member of
the Year, as he will compete against the top employees at the other Sandals resorts across the Caribbean.

The prizes there include US$20,000, one week’s paid vacation at a Sandals of his
choice, first class air transfer for two, among other VIP treatments. Working in the hospitality industry, and more specifically at Sandals, has come as second
nature to Richards. He grew up in a household where his family members worked in the hotel sector and his mother worked at Sandals.

An Antiguan by birth, Richards grew up in Potters Village. He attended the Potters
Primary School and later the Clarehall Secondary School. Upon graduating from the secondary institution, he applied for a job at the resort.
“It was a very positive experience,” he said of his early months with the company. “I
started out as a waiter.”

Shortly after, the awards came rolling in.

“Month after month I won the Most Guest Nominated Award,” he said. “After the (then)
General Manager saw how good I was, he suggested that I become a butler. At first I didn’t want to be a butler because I loved what I did.”

However, after some of the butlers encouraged him, Richards was eventually convinced
that he needed to give it a try. He became a butler officially in August, 2006.
“I enjoy making the guests’ vacation most memorable and enjoyable,” he said. “I enjoy
exceeding guests’ expectations.”

The 2019 Diamond Team Member is the most requested butler on property, with guests
specifically requesting him when they book their stay.
“Wendel continues to impress us with the quality of service he provides to our guests,”
General Manager Matthew Cornall said. “He is very much deserving of this Diamond Team
Member Award.”

While Richards did not originally see himself working as a butler, his love for the service
still shows 14 years later.

Equally as impressive is his impeccable attendance record. After a total of 16 years of
working for the company, he has only one sick day.
His goal is to be a butler manager one day and hopes to become a director at some point
in the future. “That’s my field; it’s all I know,” he said. “I’m willing to pass on all I’ve learned and my expertise.”

“When you see the opportunities that you will get with this company, you’ll see it’s a
great company to work for,” Richards said.

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