Known for his strong personality and influential presence in Hotel Management around the world, Lennox Dupal has retired from a long-standing career in the hospitality industry that began in 1971.

Dupal, is best known locally for his contribution to the evolution of the Sandals brand on the island, holding the post of General Manager for Sandals Halcyon – the second of three Sandals properties in the island – since 2002.

Chief Executive Officer for Sandals Resorts International Adam Stewart recognized Dupal for his passion for the development and professional growth of Sandals Resorts, underlining numerous successful senior executives in Saint Lucia and elsewhere who has progressed under Dupal’s guidance.

A look into this influencer’s life reveals humble beginnings in 1971 at the Holiday Inn St. Lucia as Night Auditor.

Dupal often speaks of having held a position in almost every department at junior and senior levels known to exist in the hotel industry.

Lennox Dupal

In 1972 Lennox accepted a job with The Steigenberger Cariblue Hotel as an assistant Front Office Manager and by the time he left the hotel chain in 1985, he had worked his way to the position of Food & Beverage Manager.

By 1981 Lennox took study leave from the resort to pursue a two-year degree program in Hotel and Business Administration at the Hotel Fachschule in Heidelberger, Germany. There he not only armed himself with an education but became proficient in the German language and also did brief tours in Asia covered Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan Indonesia and Thailand,

After graduating, he secured an internship at the chain’s flagship Steigenberger Hotel Frankfurter Hof in Frankfurt, Germany.

By 1985 when he returned to Saint Lucia Lennox continued his stint with the Cariblue Hotel until later that year when he advanced to take over the coveted position of Hotel Manager at the Jolly Beach Resort in neighbouring Antigua.

Three years later in 1988 Lennox returned to St. Lucia and took over the position of Hotel Manager responsible for the Food and Beverage Department at Le Sport.

A mere few months later, he accepted an offer to work for The Ramada Corporation as Hotel Manager in Kuantan, Malaysia – stories from which he never fails to produce.

Six months later he was promoted to the position of General Manager – a position he held for two years.

Malaysia is the birth country of Dupal’s only daughter – Consuelo, who has also established herself as a leader in the tourism industry.

After many years of working in resorts the Saint Lucian Lennox was offered the opportunity to be General Manager of the business hotel ‘The Holiday Villa’ in Kuala Lumpur, a position he held for four years. The 450-room city hotel boasted meeting and conference facilities for about 5000 persons.

Nineteen years ago, in 1994 Lennox returned to the Caribbean and took over as General Manager of the Jolly Beach Resort in Antigua for a second stint, which was interrupted by a severe hurricane in 1995.

He returned to St Lucia and eventually joined the Sandals chain in 1996 at the spanking new Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort and Spa as Hotel Manager. It was that same year that Sandals Halcyon was acquired.

Two years later he was transferred to Sandals Montego Bay where he worked as Hotel Manager for two years. He was later transferred to Sandals Negril in 2000 and after a brief stint he was asked to take over Grande Pineapple Negril (formerly Negril Gardens) as General Manager – also part of the Sandals chain.

Another two years had passed before Lennox was transferred to Beaches Sandy Bay as General Manager – a position he held until his final transfer to his homeland in 2002 to take over the General Management of Sandals Halcyon; a position he held until May 2015.

He has led Sandals Halcyon to the being recognized as one of the leading hotels within the Sandals chain with a high repeat guest factor and guest service scores and has been honoured on several occasions by the company’s Chairman himself – Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart.

Dupal prides himself in being an example of the rewards of hard work and determination. His decades of dedicated service and experience gained in the hospitality industry starting from humble beginnings growing up in the fishing village of Gros Islet and working his way to the highest levels of leadership worldwide is a success story worth emulating.

His journey and achievements is a reflection of the possibilities available through opportunity, ambition and a commitment to being the best you can be. We salute and recognize his achievements as a true tourism professional and wish him a great life in the ‘new chapter’ of retirement.

(Business Focus 2015)