We're Proud Of Patricia!
Celebrating The Woman At The Helm Of Ocean Hotels Barbados
In March 2019, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reported that with almost twice as many female employers than other sectors, Tourism provides women with “more opportunities for workforce participation, leadership, entrepreneurship and empowerment than many other sectors, particularly in developing countries.”
In Barbados, we’re proud every day of all the women who drive our country forward, whether on the tourism front lines of our white sand beaches, in the rarified halls of international power, or across multimedia channels as a universal image influencer.
And at Ocean Hotels Barbados, we’re particularly proud of Patricia Affonso-Dass, our CEO and Group General Manager, whose title doesn’t begin to cover the many hats she wears everyday in her role.
A self-described “true product of the Caribbean”, Patricia was born in Dominica but left at the age of 2 and lived in Trinidad and Antigua before moving to Guyana where she grew up; she has lived in Barbados since August 1998.
Studying Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University, she gained a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours, and her subsequent career in the tourism industry ranges from management positions in Guyana and Barbados with hotels and resorts, touristic attractions and leisure properties, to leading the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association as President.
In September 2009, Patricia joined Ocean Hotels Barbados as Group General Manager, and according to a recent interview with Hertelier.com, “she’s helped the brand become a leader on the island…”
On her journey with Ocean Hotels Barbados, Patricia was involved in the completion and opening of the original Ocean Two, oversaw the full renovation and expansion of Sea Breeze Beach House, managed a $2.8M upgrade and renovation of South Beach Hotel, and most recently turned her focus to the reimagining and recreation of Ocean Two into O2 Beach Club & Spa, which opened last November to popular acclaim.
Patricia Affonso-Dass has been interviewed many times, always sharing her point of view with honesty and Caribbean pride. For International Women’s Day 2022, Ocean Hotels Barbados Group celebrates our unique and amazing CEO & General Manager through her own words.
Island Life…
There are so many reasons to choose Barbados. The first thing people think about are the amazing beaches. To my mind, the sea; the colours of blue are just unbelievable. There's an unending variety of fabulous food – everything from roadside barbecues to cliff-side caviar. You have a ton of amazing activities — golf, scuba diving and all the rest of it. Easy transport around the island, whether you're renting a car, scooter or taxi, or taking the Caribbean version of the hop-on, hop-off bus. It's an easy place to get to. It's an easy place to visit and there's so much to do.
~ Virgin Holidays Insider Blog
Work Life…
My favorite aspect of my current role is the ability to craft and design what the future of our business looks like. I love the business development aspect equally as well as the people development aspect. As we grow, change, and develop the business, we create opportunities for our teams to grow, change and develop also.
Caribbean Life…
My connection with CHTA has spanned my entire career. The professional support network as well as the exposure that it has provided me has been invaluable to me professionally. As a Caribbean person, I have always had a very regional and collaborative approach. My role as President of CHTA really helped to strengthen my belief that while we are the most tourism-dependent region in the world, we are also the most desirable, resilient, creative, and genuinely hospitable. There is no place else like the Caribbean!
Life Lessons…
I think that the biggest personal lesson that I learned coming out of the pandemic is that I am much stronger and more resilient than I believed. I have always been a creative thinker, but the pandemic forced me to really look at our operation in a completely different way and that has given rise to a number of initiatives that I believe will continue to serve us well long after this is behind us.
Happy International Women’s Day To All Women, Everywhere!