St. Regis Punta Mita, 2016
Service is a monologue, we decide how we want to do things and set our own standards for service. Hospitality, on the other hand is a dialogue. To be on the gas side requires listening to that person with every sense, and following up with a thoughtful, gracious appropriate response. “It takes both great service and great hospitality to rise to the top” is an expression that defines Carl Emberson, the distinguished and prodigious general manager at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Lotus Journey has taken him far from his native home of Fiji and summers at his grandmother’s in Tonga, the distinctive traits and passions developed from spending his childhood in the South Pacific Paradise remain deeply ingrained.
Emberson now oversees and leads the luxury property where he is often encountered dressed and Resort casual wear, moving about with a spring in his step. He could easily be mistaken for a guest. Interacting with countless people each day is something he obviously enjoys. Resort guests, as well as his team, attest to his unassuming, engaging manner and relaxed presence.
40 Years of personal and professional traveling has brought me close to many styles and personalities of hoteliers worldwide. The experiences have provided an enlightening immersion into the world of management, imagination, interpretation and innovation at luxury retreats. General Manager Emberson sits at the pinnacle of the collective elite. He delivers a combination of skills, abilities and passion for his work and people, those to whom he provides hospitality and the talented staff with whom he surrounds himself. The atmosphere at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort is more like a boutique hotel, facilitated by 120 rooms, three pools, four restaurants and a staff to guest ratio that ensures service and Hospitality beyond reproach.
Communication has been and remains essential to Carl’s relationships. His command of the written word was perhaps inherited from his grandmother, one of those cherished relatives who expressed herself eloquently in writing. Both grandmother and mother imparted a supportive spirit that enabled Carl to discover his passion and follow a road that has led him to the helm of a flagship beach, spa & golf Resort where he creates a hospitable and comfortable stay for travelers. Emberson’s journey hasn’t necessarily been traditional or one without detours. He now coordinates the operation of a once struggling new Starwood Group property. Today it is a top performer, increasing numbers and adding substantial beach and golf events that have garnered accolades and unprecedented international media coverage and awards.
Carl Emberson’s energy, visions and passion may be young, but his experience and insights reveal a breadth of wisdom, training, focus and a mastery of the art of hospitality. He not only displays attributes that lift guests beyond expectations, but also serves as a model for the staff. “Your behavior is your single greatest mode of communication, and it must be congruent with what you say. Turn complex thoughts and strategies into simple, memorable terms that colleagues can grasp and act upon. Don’t fixate on eloquence; concentrate on being distinct and real. People want real. People respect real. People follow real – be you! Be visible – show your people that you’re engaged and care about them and their work – spend time on the floor, walk your property. Listen with your eyes, as well as your ears.
Stop, look and listen it. Remember that effective communication is a two-way,” said Emberson.
After an education at Saint Ignatius College, a secondary school in Australia and Les Roches School of Hotel Management in Switzerland, Carl embarked on a unique hospitality adventure with his wife Sabine, who had also been a student at Les Roches. Prior to accepting the position at St. Regis Punta Mita, Emberson had been meandering worldwide, pursuing his passion and holding skills as a specialist in the hospitality industry for more a quarter of a century. This global adventure, born from the desire to do it all, has been a unique journey for the hotelier while living and working in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Fiji islands and Australia. “I spent 15 years with Hyatt International and now five years with Starwood. I’ve lived and worked in many countries, have owned or managed restaurants, ran catering and corporate hospitality companies, hosted a TV cooking show, then a restaurant consultant, ran a ski resort and also ran an events company,” shared Emberson.
Carl is guided by three keys to success that he discovered along the way: honestly follow your passion, truly accept that failure is not fatal, and always give through selfless acts of kindness. Leadership and success have been part of his life since childhood, as captain and mate of rugby and cricket teams and as the 1988 valedictorian at Les Roches International School of hotel management. Time at Les Roches added precipitously to his character and was a place where he was “inspired by the spirit of teamwork, spirit of solidarity, spirit of service, new friends and memorable moments.”
Emerson has an uncanny ability to draw from what he has learned and experienced and utilize it to implement quality improvements. Personally, I think he possesses a rare and special intuitiveness that is part creativity and part magic. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.” Whatever the inspiration is that enables Vision, Carl has it and is able to blend ingredients accumulated over time to fashion something that is brilliant. It is what sets him apart from a gifted few.
The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort has risen to new heights since Emberson’s arrival in 2010. Building a strong team, developing successful Innovative events, inaugurating programs and offerings, and establishing new venues have facilitated extraordinary development at the luxury hideaway. The Punta Mita Gourmet & Golf Classic launched in 2010 has become an extravaganza. This annual celebration of food, drink and golf has grown exponentially in size and scope each year. The fifth annual event in 2015 was a sell-out that attracted more sponsors, participants, golfers, dinners and raised 500,000 pesos for the Lorena Ochoa Foundation. I couldn’t help but send Carl a note to see her to share my exuberance, “Another natural one in a progression of what has indeed become a classic Build it and they will come has never been more true. You created an image of what it could be and is evolving to be even more. It is an amazing, wonderful celebration, so glad to have experienced the evolution and be with you to share a most magnificent event loaded with talent, style, grace and energy” The Punta Mita Beach Festival, another Emberson production, continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
Changes at the resort have gathered Awards as word spread and more guests visited. Honors include: Travel & Leisure Best Hotels & Resorts – 2012 (#5 Mexico), 2013 (#3 Mexico, #45 World, 2014 (#2 Mexico, #16 World); TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards – 2014 (#1 Mexico, #8 World); AAA Five DIamond Awaard – Signature Crolina Restaurant 2010-2014, Conde Nast Traveler Gold List; Architectural Digest Mexico; Fodor’s World Travel Guide; and Travel Weekly Magellan Awards.
General manager Carl Emberson is ever-present about the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort. You might run into him while enjoying a bite at a restaurant, poolside, beach, bar or at a couple of his favorite places in Pacifico and Bahia golf courses. His presence is refined and gracious, yet Pleasant and personable. It does not take long to sense that Carl’s easy-going style is authentic, one you may find somewhat unique for the overseer of all things at this preeminent paradise on the Pacific shores of Mexico.
