Janelle Hopkin Leads Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada’s Luxury Legacy

A devotion to first-class hospitality guides Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada through life’s storms. Most recently, the island’s AAA Five Diamond destination made it through the fury of Hurricane Beryl largely unscathed. Janelle Hopkin grew up weathering the ups and downs of the hospitality business at her family’s luxury property on Grand Anse Beach.

“I am a third-generation hotelier. My dad actually grew up in a 10-bedroom hotel, so it’s running through my blood,” says the president and managing director of Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada. Hopkin spent her summers and school holidays working at the 9-acre property her father fell in love with in the 1960s.

“He bought minority shares in 1969, and in 1987, he bought sole ownership. So, it’s been in the family, 100% owned since 1987.”

Transformation of Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada

When Sir Royston Hopkin bought what was then the Spice Island Inn, the hotel that opened in 1961 had 28 rooms. As owner and chairman, Sir Hopkin oversaw the expansion of the newly named Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada into 58 rooms. A $6 million renovation in 2000 added more suites, restaurants and a spa.

In 2004, the fury of Hurricane Ivan caused extensive damage, and the hotel was closed for 18 months. Insurance money funded a $12 million rebuilding project that transformed the property into a top-rated, all-inclusive Caribbean destination.

“I believe that is what put Spice on the map. We were able to compete with what was out there at the time,” notes Janelle.

While in high school, Janelle’s dad asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up. “And I said I want to be like you. His first response was don’t do something because you see me with a nice car or want to be like me. You need to be sure,” recalls the resort’s managing director.

She shares her response after spending a year and a half learning the operation with training from the bottom up. “At the end of that time, he asked what I wanted to do, and my answer was still the same. Not that I wanted to be like him, but that I absolutely love this industry.”

Sir Hopkin’s daughter left home for the prestigious Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. She returned with honors to Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Hospitality Management.

With her experience interning at Four Seasons and other acclaimed London hotels, Janelle thought an executive office would be waiting. Her dad had something else planned.

“Again, he started me from the bottom as a management trainee, which today I appreciate. At the time, obviously, you don’t, when you are 22 or 23,” says Janelle.

“He had me go through all the departments, including food and beverage and housekeeping. I had to clean toilets and maintain each department. I did about six months in the kitchen.”

Changing Command of Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada

Sir Hopkin named Janelle his successor in 2015. By then, the Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada had its first Six Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS).

The award, which the hotel has held for a decade, represents excellence in service, hospitality, cleanliness and cuisine. In 2018, AAA made Spice Island one of only seven Caribbean hotels to receive the prestigious Five Diamond Rating, which the resort continued to claim each consecutive year through 2024.

Janelle’s passion for the hospitality industry and Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada would be tested when Sir Hopkin passed away at age 75 in February 2020. It put a critical choice in his daughter’s hands as the COVID pandemic spread worldwide.

“One of the biggest decisions I made during COVID was to shut the hotel for a year and two months. Where everyone was closing for a month or two and trying to reopen. I said to myself, ‘This doesn’t make sense.’”

At that time, Janelle was a new mother with an infant son, Royston Hopkin II, who is named after his grandfather. Numerous people challenged the wisdom of her decision to close Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada, even with few flights coming to the island. She relied on her late father’s advice to do things her way.

“I just went with my gut. I went with what I felt was the right thing to do for the business, myself, and the extended family, and so far, it has worked out,” she maintains.

Recovering from the pandemic’s impact gave Janelle a greater appreciation for her family’s resort and the 221 staff members. She had to lay off all but 55 employees and paid health insurance for those temporarily let go. All but one member of her management team returned to their jobs.

“I am immensely proud that they actually came back. We had about 75% of them that returned to us after a year and a half of being out,” the hotelier exclaims. “That was a major plus because they had a change of leadership from my father to myself, and they all came back and rallied with me, which meant a lot. They are still here today, and I couldn’t do it without them.”

Enhancing Spice Island Beach Resort’s Legacy of Luxury

As the country’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel, Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada exudes elegance and excellence. Today, it offers 64 opulent suites with top-of-the-line amenities, including some with residential-size swimming pools. Guests are steps away from the Caribbean Sea when they leave their beachfront rooms.

“Spice is not just another luxury Caribbean offering,” Janelle declares. “We have a distinct value proposition, which I like to say is unique, memorable and distinctly shaped by local culture.” It goes down to the personal touches, and you can’t find that anywhere.”

The all-inclusive, family-owned hotel’s exclusive location on Grand Anse Beach contributes to its ranking as one of the best resorts in the Caribbean. Yet, Janelle insists that her dad’s philosophy about hospitality has created Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada’s legacy of luxury.

“One, it comes down to personal touches, which we do very well here at Spice. And two, I honestly believe that an understated, simple, luxury Caribbean vacation sells at the end of the day. I am channeling his legacy and keeping it alive because I believe in what he believed in.”

The late Sir Hopkin believed in making hospitality paramount at Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada, from the staff greeting customers by name to their catering to guests’ vacation needs.

“Our hallmark is the service, going that extra mile. It’s the team and the culture. We allow them to be who they are, but they are well-trained. And trained not to be what I call computerized and give the standard answer, but to be themselves and go the extra mile,” Janelle explains.

The Show Goes on at Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada

The resort employee’s admiration for her father and his influence remained evident in the difficult days after his death and even to this day.

“They were serving coffee with tears in their eyes, but they didn’t put the coffee down. One thing we all learned from my dad, I have to say, is that the show has to go on. No matter what happens, the guests are paying for vacation, so the show must go on.”

The Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada show includes posh pampering at Janissa Spa, free access to the fitness center, equipment for beach lounging or non-motorized water sports, live entertainment and organized activities. “We have garden tours, sip and paint sessions and health and wellness activities where we include the staff and the guests,” Janelle adds.

Since she took over the resort’s leadership, the hotelier has focused more on families and children. The Nutmeg Pod Activity Center lets parents get a break.

“You do have a place you can send your kids from 9 to 5, and that’s also included. When we have a lot of kids in-house, we open the club at night and offer free babysitting. And now, not only do you have the kids’ club, but you also have beach toys, pool toys and a basket of snacks replenished every day. You have bottle warmers, playpens, games, and everything you could possibly need to make your life easier and travel lighter so you can enjoy your vacation with your kids,” Janelle continues.

Another top priority for Janelle is the hotel’s wide range of culinary offerings. She ensures that the food served at Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada meets the highest quality standards for a critically acclaimed luxury destination.

“Food is love, and people are traveling for that experience. As good as the beach is, if you are in an all-inclusive, the food has to be the star,” she says.

A new executive chef oversees the food service at the resort’s Oliver Restaurant and Sea and Surf Terrace. Janelle recently decided to do away with all the buffets except the Sunday barbecue on the beach. The meals guests order come directly from the kitchen. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menus offer a fusion of Caribbean and Creole flavors prepared from local ingredients from the country lovingly known as “The Spice Isle.”

The imaginative dishes served include pancakes with caramelized bananas and maple butter or a traditional fish creole with fried cou cou or cornmeal, blue cheese ravioli, pan-seared couvalli jack fish with marinated tomato and pesto or roasted tofu with black eye relish.

“I want to be that five-star, five-diamond all-inclusive where the food is top notch. Where you leave and not only say you had a good experience but that you had some of the best local Grenadian and Caribbean food that you’ve ever tasted. That is where I am aiming to be,” Janelle states.

People often ask the managing director who she markets the resort to, and her answer is everyone looking for a luxury experience worth the price.

“It doesn’t matter your color, where you come from, or your sexual orientation. If you were here today, you would see elderly couples, young families, same-sex couples, people from the U.S., U.K., Trinidad and other countries.”

Sharing the Heart of Grenada

Janelle’s emphasis on keeping Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada accessible to everyone, including locals, makes the hotel unique among many all-inclusive Caribbean destinations. She recognizes that luxury today means more than high-quality bed linens and an oceanview.

“Ten years ago, people left the resort maybe once to go to a nutmeg factory. Now, they want to get into the communities. They want to meet people. They want to meet the staff. They befriend your staff on Facebook. They want to get to know the island where they are.”

The resort’s location on a public beach with no fences gives travelers easy access to island life. “This beach, Grand Anse, gives you heart. You meet the locals. You see the kids playing and the families having picnics. You’re lounging on your sun bed, but you are still getting a sense of Grenada, which is very important to me,” says Janelle.

That sense of Grenada begins at Spice Island Beach Resort with Janelle or the general manager greeting guests. “He’s been with us for 24 years. He’s my son’s godfather. Most of the management team has also been here for 15 to 20 years,” she says.

“You have to feel Grenada, taste Grenada, know that you are in Grenada. I don’t want it to be to the point that you could be anywhere in the world when you walk in. You have to have a sense of place.”

Janelle shares how her grandparents and dad inspired guests to connect with Grenadians and their culture.

“The one thing he wanted to do was to inspire an affinity for his Grenadian home in the hearts of the guests. That goes back to where he grew up. Every Saturday at the 10-bedroom hotel my grandparents owned, my grandfather would invite all the guests to dinner on a Saturday night. To him, that’s how he welcomed people to his home.”

Keeping that tradition of hospitality at Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada means treating visitors like they have been invited to your home. “In the Caribbean culture, if you invite someone to your home at Christmas or for a special occasion, you put out your best. That’s what we do every day here at Spice, try to give it our best. Many people can run hotels, but not everyone can be a hotelier,” Janelle proclaims.

In that respect, Sir Hopkin’s heiress is determined to preserve the essence of the Grenadian hospitality he celebrated at Spice Island Beach Resort.

“It is the 21st century quintessential Caribbean, Grenadian retreat where everyone feels part of the experience. Yes, Spice and hotels were his babies, but his biggest baby was Grenada.”

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Rejuvenating Spice Island Beach Resort’s Heritage

The son of a Black Grenadian mother and a British father from Wales, Sir Hopkin became a tourism giant and national ambassador in his homeland and throughout the Caribbean.

In 2005, Queen Elizabeth knighted Janelle’s father for his contributions to Grenada and regional development. Sir Hopkin was just 20 years old when he became the president of the Grenada Tourism Authority, now helmed by Chairman Randall Dolland and CEO Petra Roach.

At 24, he was appointed Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association president and re-elected an impressive 14 times. “He created the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism. Anything tourism-related in Grenada, he was there. He basically put Grenada on the map, so to speak,” his daughter affirms.

From humble beginnings living at his parents’ Ross Point Inn with six siblings, Sir Hopkin excelled to the height of receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit and the Trailblazer’s Award at the 23rd annual International African American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit.

Janelle reveals that her dad was an absolute royalist who was thrilled that Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada became the hotel of choice for The Royal Family and many world leaders. “The Queen only came once in the 1960s. We’ve hosted all the family at the hotel except for Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales.”

The last royal Sir Hopkin welcomed was Prince Harry. Janelle remembers what he said about the dessert her grandmother served to the Queen.

“My grandmother was one of these pioneers who took Caribbean local items like avocado and nutmeg and infused them into international recipes. When Harry came here, the first thing he said was, ‘My grandmother told me about the avocado ice cream from your family’s hotel.’ That was a pretty memorable moment.”

Another standout moment for Janelle came in 2023 when the Caribbean Journal named her Hotelier of the Year. “It came by surprise. They didn’t tell me I was up for it. To me, that meant a lot. It’s not really my award. It’s an award for Spice.”

Leading the Future of Hospality

As she leads Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada into the future, Janelle forges her own path in tourism and philanthropy. She wants her involvement in the Grenada Hotel & Tourism Association and other groups to evolve based on her achievements. The hotelier created the Sir Royston Hopkin Foundation to continue her father’s altruistic practice of awarding scholarships to Grenadian students.

“My passion is very much for the kids and those who may be in need. The team at Spice is heavily involved. We go down to the schools. We do homework, we paint and plant with them. It’s in our literature, so the guests can read up, contribute and bring things when they come in,” she adds.

Her five-year plan for Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada involves temporarily closing the hotel for renovation stints over the next two summers. During those periods, Janelle will upgrade the property with a new beachfront restaurant and renovate the pool deck.

After that, the spa and hotel suites will get a makeover. She also supervises environmental initiatives to sustain Grenada’s natural beauty and meet the rigorous requirements for Green Globe Certification.

The award-winning executive’s dedication to rejuvenating the resort’s heritage means being there almost every day when she is not taking her son to school or traveling with him. Six-year-old Royston Hopkin II is already becoming a connoisseur of luxury accommodations.

“Anytime I travel, I like to stay in the nicer hotels, even in the cities, because you get ideas, see things and see what they are doing. So, he has standards that are way too high for a six-year-old,” she reveals with a chuckle.

One thing is for sure. Janelle knows her son sees a qualitative example of luxury living at his Spice Island Beach Resort home in Grenada.

“If you want a unique, exclusive vacation where you feel like you are the most important person in the hotel, you need to come to Spice Island Beach Resort. It’s a spot where you don’t have to think about anything. We’re looking at the sustainability of the human experience in terms of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation – the Caribbean way.”

Follow Spice Island Beach Resort Grenada on Instagram and other social media platforms (@spiceislandbeachresort) for updates on Janelle Hopkin and the hotel.

This story originally appeared in Cuisine Noir Magazine