Tim’s Take: What stood out to me in Ramy’s story is that he didn’t see the resort as a finished product just because the hotel itself was beautiful. His focus was on creating enough variety, movement and connection to make guests want to actually stay on property and experience Dominica rather than simply look at it.
I particularly like his view that wellness has to extend beyond the treatment room and into the landscape, food, movement and rhythm of the stay. That feels very close to how I think about restorative luxury: the destination should leave you feeling better, not just give you a beautiful room to sleep in.
From a Beautiful Hotel to a Complete Destination
I joined just over a year ago and inherited a beautiful resort in an extraordinary setting, but with limited facilities and experiences.
Dominica is a challenging destination in terms of airlift. This can make tour operators and businesses reluctant to invest in activities, restaurants, and wellness experiences.
It becomes the old question: which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Do we wait for more visitors before creating the experiences, or do we create the experiences that will give people more reasons to visit and stay longer?
For my first three months, I did not rush to change things. I observed the operation, studied the island, tried to understand its dynamics, and looked closely at our feeder markets. From that, I developed a two-year plan. As we speak, we have been implementing that plan almost exactly as intended.
The opportunity was to transform an already beautiful hotel into a complete destination. We moved from one principal restaurant to three different dining experiences, offering local, Japanese, Indian, and international cuisines. We are expanding from one bar into several experiences, each with its own atmosphere, music, and reason to visit.
We have also transformed a simple point of beach access into a bay where guests can spend the day, with loungers and umbrellas. We introduced bicycles, pickleball, non-motorized water activities, daily wellness programming, and complimentary opportunities for guests to discover the largely untapped north of Dominica.
A beautiful hotel is not enough. The setting may bring someone here once, but it is the experience that makes them stay, return, and speak about it.
The Challenge of Changing Mindsets and Earning Trust
The greatest challenge was getting people on board.
The hotel had been operating for approximately six years. Three years under another brand and three years as an InterContinental. Certain ways of working had naturally become established. We could not continue doing the same thing and expect a different result, but changing that mindset required more than presenting a plan.
I had to create some va-va-voom inside the hotel. The team needed to believe that we could become more than we had been. At the same time, I was the new person who had just arrived on the island, asking the shareholders to reinvest and open more restaurants, create more experiences, hire people, and upgrade equipment.
I had to earn the trust of the ownership, the board, IHG, and the team. That trust could not be demanded; it had to be built by making a strong case, delivering consistently, and showing that every investment belonged to a larger vision.
Much of the investment has happened behind the scenes as well. We upgraded mechanical systems, laundry equipment, and kitchen equipment, things guests may never see but which are essential to delivering a luxury experience consistently.
What we have achieved in approximately one year sometimes feels short of a miracle. We have opened one experience after another while continuing to operate the resort, care for our guests, and improve our reviews. The puzzle is not yet complete, but every piece is now coming together.
Defending Variety in Food and Beverage
The decision I defended most strongly was expanding our dining and bar options.
For me, a luxury resort where guests stay for five to seven nights cannot operate with one restaurant, regardless of how beautiful it is or how extensive its menu may be. Guests cannot be expected to eat lunch and dinner in the same setting every day.
People want different experiences depending on their mood. One evening, you want to dress nicely and enjoy an elegant dinner. Another evening, you want to arrive in shorts and a shirt.
One night, you may want Japanese flavors; another night, Dominican goat stew. Sometimes you want live Caribbean music, and sometimes you want a quieter or more intimate atmosphere.
The same applies to bars. Guests want different music, energy, views, and surroundings. One bar cannot be everything to everyone.
This was particularly important because there are limited dining options immediately surrounding the resort. If we wanted guests to stay for five or seven nights and remain excited, we had to create that variety ourselves. That required investment in physical assets, kitchens and people, so it was not always an easy case to defend.
Holding that line has changed how guests speak about us across review platforms. They now mention the variety of restaurants, the range of menus, and the fact that there is something for every taste.
It has also changed how the team sees the hotel. We are moving from what sometimes felt like a restaurant and a half towards becoming a dining destination for the island.
It supports revenue growth, but it also builds confidence in our wider catering capabilities, from conferences and weddings to outside catering, airline catering and catering at sea. Once the kitchens and talent are in place, the possibilities become much greater.
Redefining Wellness Beyond the Spa Walls
To me, wellness means nature. It means reconnecting the body and soul.
A treatment menu and a room called a spa do not automatically constitute wellness. Too often, hotels have a spa, give it a wellness-related name, and consider the work complete. I do not believe that is enough.
A treatment menu and a room called a spa do not automatically constitute wellness.
Ramy Haykal, General Manager of InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa
At Teya, we are creating a wellness sanctuary rather than simply a place to receive a treatment. Treatments are part of it, supported by natural and internationally tested products such as Phytomer, but the experience must extend much further.
We are building a more holistic approach through yoga, Pilates, sound healing, and other practices. We offer wellness activities in the morning and afternoon, seven days a week. Movement can also mean cycling through the resort, playing tennis or pickleball, exercising on the water, or seeing the coral beneath a glass-bottom kayak.
Real wellness should help you disconnect from pressure and reconnect with yourself. In Dominica, nature must be part of that process. Wellness should not feel manufactured or confined to a treatment room. It should allow you to unwind until you feel naturally connected to your body, your surroundings, and the island.
Designing the Daily Rhythm of the Stay
I inherited the guestrooms, so I cannot claim to have designed them. What I can say is that they form an exceptional foundation for the experience we are now creating.
The rooms are beautiful, spacious, sleek, and elegant. They were designed in a way that does not easily age. Most importantly, every room has a stunning outlook, whether towards the Caribbean Sea, the mountains, or the manicured tropical gardens.
The resort sits on 16 acres. Cabrits National Park is on one side, the Caribbean Sea is in front of us, and behind and around us there is greenery. You see mountains, clouds, tropical plants, fruit trees, and herb gardens. Dominica is the island that makes the rain, and everywhere you look is breathtaking.
Everything else is designed to help guests experience that setting rather than merely look at it.
The food provides variety and reflects the different ways guests want to spend an evening. The spa and wellness program create a connection between nature, body and mind.
The bicycles allow guests to move slowly through the gardens and alongside the sea. The tandem bicycles have become especially popular; seeing couples happily zooming around the resort brings the property to life.
Our water activities, movement programs and tours of northern Dominica encourage guests to participate, explore and connect. These are not isolated amenities. Together, they create the rhythm of the stay.
The First 24 Hours: From Arrival to Connection
Previously, a guest might arrive and wonder, “What should I do now?” Today, the question is: “What should I do first?”
They enter their room and see the Caribbean Sea, the mountains, or the gardens. They begin walking through the resort and discover 16 acres of greenery, tropical fruits, plants, and herb gardens.
Perhaps they take a tandem bicycle and ride together beside the sea. They may spend time at Teya, join a wellness activity, play tennis or pickleball, or go onto the water. Then comes another decision: where should we dine tonight?
Perhaps tonight is the evening to dress up for Saltwood. Tomorrow, they may want Creole entertainment, makis, or a Dominican goat stew. Later, they might listen to a Caribbean band at Rumfire. There is no longer one prescribed way to experience the resort.
What I want the guest to feel during those first 24 hours is naturally connected. Connected to the landscape, connected to the person traveling with them, connected to their own body and mind, and connected to Dominica.
We have achieved a great deal in one year, but the puzzle is not yet complete. More experiences are still coming to life. Once the remaining pieces are in place, we will be ready to rock and roll.
Ramy Haykal is General Manager of InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa, bringing more than 20 years of international hospitality experience to the role. Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions across the Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean, with expertise spanning hotel operations, commercial strategy, guest experience and team development.
At InterContinental Dominica, Haykal oversees the resort’s operations while helping strengthen its position within the Caribbean luxury market, with a focus on delivering elevated guest experiences that showcase Dominica’s natural beauty, culture and local community.
