There is a man who works in a bar on the beach of the Sandpiper Hotel. And though the bar, with its wooden walls and its roof thatched of cuss-cuss grass, is no more than 10 feet by 10 feet, you need only to visit to realize that this man and his bar are true treasures in our tourism industry.
Harold Shepherd was only a teenager when he first started working as a houseman for one of our island's resorts. With a beaming smile that compliments the twinkle in his eye, he recalls his first supervisor, Lolita Stoute, and the advice that she gave to him. "To do this type of job you must love people for who they are, and embrace their varying backgrounds," she taught him. "And you must be pleasant at all times."
These words never left him, and when Harold moved to the Sandpiper Hotel in 1990, he quickly endeared himself to the resort's management and staff. But more importantly, Harold strived to be as friendly and helpful to the hotel's guests as he could possibly be. "I noticed that the guests on the beach really enjoyed having their drinks served to them while they relaxed and basked in the sun," he says, "and so I approached management and asked that we set up a bar on the beach."
The result was "Harold's Bar", which today is lined with dozens of 8x10 photographs of smiling Sandpiper guests. Asked if these are the faces of famous visitors, Harold says "Yes, because all of our guests are famous and important to us." He then continues to put names to the faces, as if introducing his family. "This is the February crowd," he points out, so termed because they return each February. "And this is the Christmas crowd, and over here is the November crowd."
Upon the testimonials of Sandpiper's Managing Director Wayne Capaldi and General Manager Russell Croney, Harold was declared by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) as the industry's "Employee Of The Year." Former CHA president Ralph Taylor presented the award to him. "I was humbled and honoured to receive the award from Mr. Taylor," recounts Harold, still smiling, for it was Taylor who had hired him as a houseman all those years ago.
So, for the very best in Bajan service, give Harold's Bar a visit. Enjoy the sunset with one of his delicious creations - a Gentle Bent or a Green Flash maybe. And you can always count on his smile.
Article written in 2003 and compliments of "Ins and Outs of Barbados" Magazine
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