We often get asked: “What the most important thing about sustainability for you at Cayuga?”  And the answer is simple.  It is all about people.  While saving energy and utilities is important, the well-being of the local communities where we operate is our number one priority.  And it all starts with our staff.  Meet Uri DeRoux, Maintenance and Housekeeping Coordinator at Isla Palenque, Panama. 

Uri was one of the first ones to arrive at Isla Palenque after Ben Loomis bought the island almost 10 years ago.  He helped to build the basic infrastructure of the hotel and under Cayuga Management has signed up for a career path to becoming part of the middle management of the Island Resort.  He remembers building the arrival dock, the internal gravel roads and the basecamp where the employees eat and sleep. 

When asked what working at Palenque and Cayuga meant for him, he is very grateful for the opportunities given to him by Patricia, the General Manager as well as the Cayuga Corporate team.  He loves the idea of being able to learn and grow as a professional.  He was fascinated by “Cayuga Week*” in San Jose Costa Rica where he could get to know his colleagues from other Cayuga Collection Hotels in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. 

*Cayuga Week is an annual event where over 100 members of middle management and distinguished employees from all the Cayuga Collection Hotels in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama meet for a few days of training, motivation, and fun. 

Uri is very proud of the fact that Isla Palenque has become a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World (the first and only in Panama).  He is happy that his and the team’s hard work is paying off and that Isla Palenque has become the premier luxury destination in Panama (without compromising in terms of sustainability). 

Uri thinks that the philosophy of how Cayuga and its managers treat the employees make all the difference in the world.  By constantly improving the living and working conditions of the staff and focusing on training and opportunities, he thinks that it is easy for everybody on the team to give its best.  He encourages his younger colleagues to fully take advantage of those opportunities. 

Thank you, Uri, for such great work.  If you visit Isla Palenque and want to meet Uri, just let us know and we will set this up for you.