Aqua Resort Club General Manager Sachiko N. Gerrard, third right, is joined by Human Resource Manager Becky Cruz, fourth right; Executive Chef Inok Lee, third left; Marketing & Public Relations Assistant Manager Victoria S. Barnes, second right; Food & Beverage Manager Marie Ann Razon-Isip, rightmost; Chief Engineer Jimmy Magboo, center; Restaurant Supervisor Keith Isip, second left; and front desk team member Angel Cabrera, leftmost, on Wednesday last week.
FOR more than three decades now, Aqua Resort & Spa has been a relaxing home to visitors and local residents on Saipan. It marks yet another milestone today, July 5, 2024, to celebrate 35 years of hospitality and local community engagement.
Aqua Resort Club’s popular Special Seafood Night will cost $35 only this Friday, July 5, 2024, to celebrate the resort’s 35th anniversary.
To honor this occasion, ARC will be reducing the price of its popular Special Seafood Night this Friday from the regular cost of $45 per person to just $35, said ARC Marketing & Public Relations Assistant Manager Victoria S. Barnes. Everybody on island knows ARC’s Seafood Night, she said, so the one-day price cut on Friday is the hotel resort’s way of showing appreciation to the community for its support over the decades.
In addition, Barnes said, “we’ll keep doing what we do best.” Tourists and local residents, she said, can continue to enjoy ARC’s staycation promotions for island residents, the Happy Hour with night swimming, the Club Lounge for high category guests, and the dinner show.
Aqua Resort Club’s poolside.
Community support
Being with ARC for 20 years has always been a learning process, said Food & Beverage Manager Marie Ann Razon-Isip. Besides meeting people of different nationalities, she said, the events that have transpired on island in the past years have been quite challenging.
Crablegs
After two super typhoons and the COVID-19 pandemic, Isip said, all hotels on Saipan are still struggling and tourism numbers have yet to return to healthy levels, but thanks to local residents who enjoy ARC’s food and services, “there’s always a glimmer of hope.”
That warm and authentic relationship ARC has cultivated and continues to cultivate with the island community has become its hallmark and saving grace.
“That is why we are very thankful to the community who are always part of Aqua Resort. Without the local community I cannot imagine what would happen to other hotels here,” Isip said.
Oysters
She also applauds her co-employees for sticking with ARC during both good and bad times.
Chief Engineer Jimmy Magboo, who has been with ARC for 27 years, is thankful to his employer for its confidence in his work.
He also thanks his fellow ARC employees who, like him, are always focused on beautifying and maintaining ARC’s facilities and surroundings. He believes keeping the hotel beautiful and in good shape will always be a great reason to draw tourists and make them want to return again and again.
Sashimi
Bellman supervisor Jacob Quitugua, who has been working at ARC for 15 years and also performs lifeguard duties, says he enjoys being of service to the hotel’s guests and working with other ARC employees.
“I love ARC,” he said.
Sushi
General Manager Sachiko N. Gerrard acknowledges that ARC’s employees play a great role in the company’s continued success. She said ARC has gone through a lot of challenges like typhoons and the pandemic, but their loyal employees continue to work hard to keep ARC standing so it could be of service to island visitors and the community.
She also prizes the strong support of the local community. Many families on island have held important occasions at ARC, like weddings, birthday parties, reunions and other family affairs. Even those who have already settled in the U.S. mainland and return to visit their families would mostly celebrate at ARC.
The hotel resort, she said, has a strong connection with the local community.
Human Resource Manager Becky Cruz agrees. She said many resident families go to ARC to celebrate anniversaries, successes, and achievements. In fact, she said, many local residents consider ARC to be part of their family.
Cruz, who started working at ARC in 2005 and briefly left in 2016 before returning to ARC, said her own family also goes to ARC for momentous celebrations, like her mother’s 70th birthday.
“ARC has always been part of the local community. [It’s] like my second family…and therefore I appreciate it every day and I’m thankful to God,” she said.
Since ARC opened its doors, “we have strived to create a home away from home, where every guest is treated with warmth and care.”
Sales Director Kyung H. Baek said they are thrilled to celebrate ARC’s 35 years. It’s a “milestone that marks decades of dedication to providing exceptional hospitality and memorable experiences to our guests.”
Since ARC opened its doors, “we have strived to create a home away from home, where every guest is treated with warmth and care,” Baek said.
ARC’s “incredible journey,” she said, would not have been possible without the unwavering support of their valued guests, the hard work of their dedicated team, and the strong partnership they have built over the years with the local and business communities.
“We are immensely grateful to everyone who has been a part of our story,” she said.
