THE SIMOS' LOVE STORY WITH JAMAICA - JAMAICA TOURIST ISSUE 13
Lovingly referred to as “Simo”, Heinz Simonitsch is the epitome of an Austrian hotelier with a dash of Caribbean island spice. Few people have done more to establish Jamaica as a high-end destination than Simonitsch, who arrived on the island to run Half Moon in 1963. This determined, the hands-on Austrian spent 39 years at the helm of the hotel pursuing his vision of creating a top-notch resort and under his stewardship, Half Moon became one of the world`s most successful privately-owned beach resorts. Chairman of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist
Association for 5 years and the Caribbean Hotel Association for 2 years, Simonitsch’s lifetime contribution to tourism in Jamaica and the Caribbean has been recognized by the honorary award of Commander of Order of Distinction.
The story of how Heinz Simonitsch ended up in Jamaica commenced almost 5 decades ago. After completing his education at the College of Hotel Management in Austria and spending 3 years as a trainee in Switzerland, the young Simonitsch decided to go to Montreal to visit with his French-Canadian girlfriend. Remembers “Simo”, who says that he did not feel particularly welcomed by the Canadians, “It was too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer! It was not for me.”
Contemplating jobs in either the Rocky Mountains or Bermuda in 1953, a fellow Austrian living in Bermuda gave him the inside scoop on the Atlantic island: the pay was not that great, but the girls were fabulous and the beaches were nice. Heinz took the hint and ended up working at Bermuda’s Elbow Beach for the next 10 Heinz on the beach in Bermuda in 1960. years, marrying a Scottish Canadian and opening an import business for European wines and products. Says Heinz, “Since I could not ski in Bermuda, I got into sailing and became famous for always finishing last in the regattas with my boat ‘Taboo’. I had a wonderful time and eventually, I won an international regatta!”
At a French friend’s dinner, a fellow Austrian told him that the shareholders of Half Moon in Jamaica were looking for a General Manager. Two Bermudans, who were among the 15 shareholders of the property, were determined to hire the GM of their choice. When a few of the shareholders gathered in Bermuda to interview him in March 1963, Heinz never said much because they started arguing about how to run Half Moon and forgot to ask him any questions. One month later, he read about a rioting incident in Jamaica in the newspaper and was relieved that the job interview had not worked out.
Then, two months later, he was requested to meet with Rosser Reeves, a Half Moon shareholder, in New York and fly to Jamaica with him. When the GM at the hotel in Bermuda was reluctant to give him the time off and tried to convince Heinz’ wife to make him stay in Bermuda, the contrarian minded hotelier was not swayed. He explains, “I took that as a sign that I should go!”
Once at Half Moon, Heinz stayed incognito at Rosser Reeves’ cottage, the first man to do a presidential TV-campaign for President Eisenhower. Shortly after arriving back in Bermuda, he was offered the job. “I told the shareholders that they could hire me for 1 year with no obligations, during which both parties could terminate the contract,” Heinz explains. 6 weeks later, on July 17, 1963, he arrived in Jamaica to a closed, 81 room Half Moon hotel, overstaffed with 189 employees and 1 couple booked for its upcoming re-opening.
After the first financial year and a profit of US$20,000, the Half Moon owners were happy because Heinz had inherited a loss of US$200,000. The shareholders agreed to reinvest all the profits into the 81 room hotel, and Heinz signed on for two more 5 year contracts, “I am a man of compromise, I see the picture in the distance.” Shortly thereafter, he got a loan to build 24 more rooms and over the next 4 decades, the hotelier bought the Colony Hotel next door and 55 adjacent acres to expand the property. When the hotel became a profitable venture again in 1979, the resort had 400 rooms, 54 villas, 13 tennis courts, 6 pools, 5 restaurants, a Conference Centre, the MoBay Hope Medical Center, a 4,000 square foot shopping village and a school.
One would have thought that this efficient Austrian personality was destined to end up on a direct collision course with the laid back personality of the Jamaicans working at Half Moon, but somewhere over the next decade, the staff learned to love, respect and even admire their forceful leader. Perhaps it was Heinz’ dedication to excellence, his refusal to accept less than the best, and his focus on creating a well run hotel with high service standards that eventually created a common ground. Remembers Simonitsch, “Years later, I met a worker who got fired during the early days. He thanked me for it, because it was an eye-opener for him. Now, he does really well.”
Over the years, Simonitsch faced and conquered many challenges, including the reconstruction of the hotel after two hurricanes and rebuilding of the central facilities following a fire. He was the first to computerize a hotel in Jamaica, the first to achieve an induction into the Green Hotel Hall of Fame and is widely credited with bringing the Japanese market to Half Moon around the Olympic Games in Atlanta in the 1982, a market that held firm until 9/11. A playground for the rich & famous, Half Moon has hosted celebrities including HRH Queen Elizabeth, HRH Prince Charles and Monaco’s Royal family, just to name a few of the luminaries who have enjoyed the allure of the resort’s authentic, colonial atmosphere over the years.
Elisabeth first came to Jamaica in 1985 when her father, a retired politician, asked through a friend in Vienna if Heinz could accommodate his daughter as a trainee at the hotel. After Heinz’ first wife died, romance blossomed. Explains Heinz, “We had to keep the relationship a secret for quite some time.” But then, hurricane Gilbert hit the island and the two experienced the gut wrenching anxiety of finding themselves in separate locations, not knowing if the other was safe and sound. Explains Elisabeth, “That is when we realized that this was the real thing.” Despite differences in both religion and age, the couple got married at Trident Castle in Port Antonio in October 1991 followed by a second wedding in Austria in April 1992.
Today, the Simonitsch’s have 3 Jamaican born and bred children who all speak patois and English to perfection, Alexander (14), Madeleine (17), who is studying in Miami and Christina (20), currently attending College of Hotel Management in Innsbruck, Austria, in good family tradition. The service gene has clearly been absorbed into the offspring’s blood. Get an invitation for dinner at the “Simos” and Elisabeth will cook up the most delicious creations, which can only be matched by her decorative table presentations. Invariably, you will be waited on by one of the daughters who smilingly serve up the string of dishes coming out of the kitchen.
“I love to create my own dishes, often with unique combinations of local produce, vegetables and fruits from my own garden. Who can pick avocados from their own trees?” says Elisabeth, who has loved cooking and entertaining ever since she was a little girl growing up in the environment of a family hotel in Austria’s beautiful Tyrol region, a fact that wasn’t lost on her best friends Noa Jensch and Michelle Daswani who finally talked her into publishing a cookbook. A lover of everything culinary, she is readily at hand to help anyone who needs assistance in the kitchen.
Elisabeth is clearly the perfect match for her husband. Aside from their ardent infatuation with the hospitality business, the two also share a passion for helping. Heinz’ first fundraising event was crab racing, an activity he started at the Half Moon. “We had guests bet on the crabs! 25% was donated to the school and church in Mt. Zion, but since the church had a moral objection to taking money from gambling we would have Half Moon issue a check, which was ok,” he explains. Heinz is also the person who brought SOS Children’s Villages to Jamaica, “My father made me promise to give time and money to the underprivileged.” This sense of responsibility, Heinz and Elisabeth have made sure to pass on to their own children, who are also involved in charity work, “You have to get yourself involved in the community and it is important they learn that everyone is not as fortunate as them. A little help can go a long way, and lots of people and organizations got involved in the SOS Village.”
Elisabeth contributes to the local community in so many ways that it is hard to keep up. For Heinz’ 70th birthday, she asked people to give contributions to the Heinz Simonitsch Educational Trust, the non-profit school that Heinz started at the Half Moon Shopping Village in 1997. As the Chairperson of the School, Elisabeth is actively involved with the children. “There are 240 children of 19 different nationalities,” she explains. The school is currently planning their annual international lunch, where children are assigned a country to research and present, while the parents are enrolled to cook typical meals. For the last two years, Elisabeth has also organized the annual Christmas Fair, to raise money for children with AIDS, an event she inherited when her friend Noa Jensch moved to Hong Kong. Prior to the fair, the sound of her making table mats, napkins and other sale items on her sewing machine carries throughout the house at all hours.
Although both are of Austrian birth, there is absolutely no hesitation when you ask Heinz and Elisabeth what they call home. Affirms the couple, “Home is here.” And like the “Simos” have made Jamaica their homeland, Jamaica and its people have irrefutably adopted them. When someone broke into Arcadia, their country house in the mountains of Duncans, Trelawny, the local villagers were so enraged that they tracked down the culprits and made them bring the stolen items back one by one.
A current shareholder in Half Moon, Heinz retired from his 39 years as General Manager in 2002, to spend more time with his family. But it didn’t take Austria’s Consul General to Jamaica long to get back into the midst of the action, albeit this time in his homeland. The couple has recently finished building a fabulous hotel in the town of Lienz, Austria. Heinz explains how the project came about, “We found this little town of Lienz, where there was not much tourism. Actually, we were there to enjoy the peace and quiet.” An avid reader, Heinz would read The Economist and watch news on TV. In the mornings, he would stroll to town and have interesting discussions with a group of local men over a cup of coffee. He explains, “One day the Mayor asked me to build a hotel in Lienz so that tourists would have a nice place to stay.” And that is how the couple ended up with the recently opened 5-star Grandhotel Lienz, a wellness and gourmet hotel with medical facilities for executive health programs. With 76 suites, 5 restaurants, spa, indoor & outdoor swimming pool and medical services, the couple has a lot to be proud of. Says Heinz, “We will host the annual convention for the Austrian Ferrari Club next year.” www.grandhotel-lienz.com. With the opening of the new hotel, the couple is splitting their time between Austria and Jamaica. “Jamaica is our home, but the future depends on what our children will do and where they choose to go to school,” says Elisabeth.
Simonitsch points to the additions of new flights to Montego Bay, such as the direct USAir flights from Phoenix, as positive trends in the island’s tourist industry. “In the last 2 years, Jamaica has added 3,000 rooms and is fortunate to be one of 3 Caribbean islands that have not experienced a decline in arrivals.” Says the hospitality guru, “Jamaica needs to ensure that people leave here with the best possible experience. To have the best service is ultimately most important because it generates positive word of mouth, which is essential to survive this crisis.”
He is the consummate business man, but Heinz’ big heart is instantly revealed when you ask him what he believes to be his biggest accomplishment, “In addition to making Half Moon profitable, it is to have helped the community and mostly, establishing SOS Children’s Villages in Jamaica.”
Association for 5 years and the Caribbean Hotel Association for 2 years, Simonitsch’s lifetime contribution to tourism in Jamaica and the Caribbean has been recognized by the honorary award of Commander of Order of Distinction.
The story of how Heinz Simonitsch ended up in Jamaica commenced almost 5 decades ago. After completing his education at the College of Hotel Management in Austria and spending 3 years as a trainee in Switzerland, the young Simonitsch decided to go to Montreal to visit with his French-Canadian girlfriend. Remembers “Simo”, who says that he did not feel particularly welcomed by the Canadians, “It was too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer! It was not for me.”
Contemplating jobs in either the Rocky Mountains or Bermuda in 1953, a fellow Austrian living in Bermuda gave him the inside scoop on the Atlantic island: the pay was not that great, but the girls were fabulous and the beaches were nice. Heinz took the hint and ended up working at Bermuda’s Elbow Beach for the next 10 Heinz on the beach in Bermuda in 1960. years, marrying a Scottish Canadian and opening an import business for European wines and products. Says Heinz, “Since I could not ski in Bermuda, I got into sailing and became famous for always finishing last in the regattas with my boat ‘Taboo’. I had a wonderful time and eventually, I won an international regatta!”
At a French friend’s dinner, a fellow Austrian told him that the shareholders of Half Moon in Jamaica were looking for a General Manager. Two Bermudans, who were among the 15 shareholders of the property, were determined to hire the GM of their choice. When a few of the shareholders gathered in Bermuda to interview him in March 1963, Heinz never said much because they started arguing about how to run Half Moon and forgot to ask him any questions. One month later, he read about a rioting incident in Jamaica in the newspaper and was relieved that the job interview had not worked out.
Then, two months later, he was requested to meet with Rosser Reeves, a Half Moon shareholder, in New York and fly to Jamaica with him. When the GM at the hotel in Bermuda was reluctant to give him the time off and tried to convince Heinz’ wife to make him stay in Bermuda, the contrarian minded hotelier was not swayed. He explains, “I took that as a sign that I should go!”
Once at Half Moon, Heinz stayed incognito at Rosser Reeves’ cottage, the first man to do a presidential TV-campaign for President Eisenhower. Shortly after arriving back in Bermuda, he was offered the job. “I told the shareholders that they could hire me for 1 year with no obligations, during which both parties could terminate the contract,” Heinz explains. 6 weeks later, on July 17, 1963, he arrived in Jamaica to a closed, 81 room Half Moon hotel, overstaffed with 189 employees and 1 couple booked for its upcoming re-opening.
After the first financial year and a profit of US$20,000, the Half Moon owners were happy because Heinz had inherited a loss of US$200,000. The shareholders agreed to reinvest all the profits into the 81 room hotel, and Heinz signed on for two more 5 year contracts, “I am a man of compromise, I see the picture in the distance.” Shortly thereafter, he got a loan to build 24 more rooms and over the next 4 decades, the hotelier bought the Colony Hotel next door and 55 adjacent acres to expand the property. When the hotel became a profitable venture again in 1979, the resort had 400 rooms, 54 villas, 13 tennis courts, 6 pools, 5 restaurants, a Conference Centre, the MoBay Hope Medical Center, a 4,000 square foot shopping village and a school.
One would have thought that this efficient Austrian personality was destined to end up on a direct collision course with the laid back personality of the Jamaicans working at Half Moon, but somewhere over the next decade, the staff learned to love, respect and even admire their forceful leader. Perhaps it was Heinz’ dedication to excellence, his refusal to accept less than the best, and his focus on creating a well run hotel with high service standards that eventually created a common ground. Remembers Simonitsch, “Years later, I met a worker who got fired during the early days. He thanked me for it, because it was an eye-opener for him. Now, he does really well.”
Over the years, Simonitsch faced and conquered many challenges, including the reconstruction of the hotel after two hurricanes and rebuilding of the central facilities following a fire. He was the first to computerize a hotel in Jamaica, the first to achieve an induction into the Green Hotel Hall of Fame and is widely credited with bringing the Japanese market to Half Moon around the Olympic Games in Atlanta in the 1982, a market that held firm until 9/11. A playground for the rich & famous, Half Moon has hosted celebrities including HRH Queen Elizabeth, HRH Prince Charles and Monaco’s Royal family, just to name a few of the luminaries who have enjoyed the allure of the resort’s authentic, colonial atmosphere over the years.
Elisabeth first came to Jamaica in 1985 when her father, a retired politician, asked through a friend in Vienna if Heinz could accommodate his daughter as a trainee at the hotel. After Heinz’ first wife died, romance blossomed. Explains Heinz, “We had to keep the relationship a secret for quite some time.” But then, hurricane Gilbert hit the island and the two experienced the gut wrenching anxiety of finding themselves in separate locations, not knowing if the other was safe and sound. Explains Elisabeth, “That is when we realized that this was the real thing.” Despite differences in both religion and age, the couple got married at Trident Castle in Port Antonio in October 1991 followed by a second wedding in Austria in April 1992.
Today, the Simonitsch’s have 3 Jamaican born and bred children who all speak patois and English to perfection, Alexander (14), Madeleine (17), who is studying in Miami and Christina (20), currently attending College of Hotel Management in Innsbruck, Austria, in good family tradition. The service gene has clearly been absorbed into the offspring’s blood. Get an invitation for dinner at the “Simos” and Elisabeth will cook up the most delicious creations, which can only be matched by her decorative table presentations. Invariably, you will be waited on by one of the daughters who smilingly serve up the string of dishes coming out of the kitchen.
“I love to create my own dishes, often with unique combinations of local produce, vegetables and fruits from my own garden. Who can pick avocados from their own trees?” says Elisabeth, who has loved cooking and entertaining ever since she was a little girl growing up in the environment of a family hotel in Austria’s beautiful Tyrol region, a fact that wasn’t lost on her best friends Noa Jensch and Michelle Daswani who finally talked her into publishing a cookbook. A lover of everything culinary, she is readily at hand to help anyone who needs assistance in the kitchen.
Elisabeth is clearly the perfect match for her husband. Aside from their ardent infatuation with the hospitality business, the two also share a passion for helping. Heinz’ first fundraising event was crab racing, an activity he started at the Half Moon. “We had guests bet on the crabs! 25% was donated to the school and church in Mt. Zion, but since the church had a moral objection to taking money from gambling we would have Half Moon issue a check, which was ok,” he explains. Heinz is also the person who brought SOS Children’s Villages to Jamaica, “My father made me promise to give time and money to the underprivileged.” This sense of responsibility, Heinz and Elisabeth have made sure to pass on to their own children, who are also involved in charity work, “You have to get yourself involved in the community and it is important they learn that everyone is not as fortunate as them. A little help can go a long way, and lots of people and organizations got involved in the SOS Village.”
Elisabeth contributes to the local community in so many ways that it is hard to keep up. For Heinz’ 70th birthday, she asked people to give contributions to the Heinz Simonitsch Educational Trust, the non-profit school that Heinz started at the Half Moon Shopping Village in 1997. As the Chairperson of the School, Elisabeth is actively involved with the children. “There are 240 children of 19 different nationalities,” she explains. The school is currently planning their annual international lunch, where children are assigned a country to research and present, while the parents are enrolled to cook typical meals. For the last two years, Elisabeth has also organized the annual Christmas Fair, to raise money for children with AIDS, an event she inherited when her friend Noa Jensch moved to Hong Kong. Prior to the fair, the sound of her making table mats, napkins and other sale items on her sewing machine carries throughout the house at all hours.
Although both are of Austrian birth, there is absolutely no hesitation when you ask Heinz and Elisabeth what they call home. Affirms the couple, “Home is here.” And like the “Simos” have made Jamaica their homeland, Jamaica and its people have irrefutably adopted them. When someone broke into Arcadia, their country house in the mountains of Duncans, Trelawny, the local villagers were so enraged that they tracked down the culprits and made them bring the stolen items back one by one.
A current shareholder in Half Moon, Heinz retired from his 39 years as General Manager in 2002, to spend more time with his family. But it didn’t take Austria’s Consul General to Jamaica long to get back into the midst of the action, albeit this time in his homeland. The couple has recently finished building a fabulous hotel in the town of Lienz, Austria. Heinz explains how the project came about, “We found this little town of Lienz, where there was not much tourism. Actually, we were there to enjoy the peace and quiet.” An avid reader, Heinz would read The Economist and watch news on TV. In the mornings, he would stroll to town and have interesting discussions with a group of local men over a cup of coffee. He explains, “One day the Mayor asked me to build a hotel in Lienz so that tourists would have a nice place to stay.” And that is how the couple ended up with the recently opened 5-star Grandhotel Lienz, a wellness and gourmet hotel with medical facilities for executive health programs. With 76 suites, 5 restaurants, spa, indoor & outdoor swimming pool and medical services, the couple has a lot to be proud of. Says Heinz, “We will host the annual convention for the Austrian Ferrari Club next year.” www.grandhotel-lienz.com. With the opening of the new hotel, the couple is splitting their time between Austria and Jamaica. “Jamaica is our home, but the future depends on what our children will do and where they choose to go to school,” says Elisabeth.
Simonitsch points to the additions of new flights to Montego Bay, such as the direct USAir flights from Phoenix, as positive trends in the island’s tourist industry. “In the last 2 years, Jamaica has added 3,000 rooms and is fortunate to be one of 3 Caribbean islands that have not experienced a decline in arrivals.” Says the hospitality guru, “Jamaica needs to ensure that people leave here with the best possible experience. To have the best service is ultimately most important because it generates positive word of mouth, which is essential to survive this crisis.”
He is the consummate business man, but Heinz’ big heart is instantly revealed when you ask him what he believes to be his biggest accomplishment, “In addition to making Half Moon profitable, it is to have helped the community and mostly, establishing SOS Children’s Villages in Jamaica.”
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