Shernette Crichton, CD
general manager, half moon resort - montego bay, jamaica
Recent Awards: Caribbean Hotelier of the Year (Caribbean Journal, 2023) and Appointment to the Order of Distinction, Commander Class, by the Government of Jamaica for her contribution to hospitality and tourism.
Shernette Crichton, CD values knowledge, teaching, learning, diligence, and especially faith; epitomizing the Westwood (her former high school) motto, “Ora et Labore,” By Prayer and By Work.
Fondly and respectfully called by many as Mrs. Crichton, Shernette has had a long tenure in the hospitality and tourism industry, with more than 30 years at Half Moon, where she helms the ship of Jamaica’s highest-rated resort, and one of the most iconic in the Caribbean. Shernette joined Half Moon in 1990 as a trainee manager and has since worked her way through the company in sales, and training and special projects, at which point she was instrumental in the development of the environmental and pillars of excellence training initiatives.
Known for her passionate delivery and execution of the message, Shernette saw to the training of more than 800 Half Moon employees, which included operating procedures and service standards, playing her role in Half Moon’s staking its position as a key player in the development of Jamaica’s tourism product.
After many years of molding and creating, Shernette established her foothold among leadership, becoming hotel manager, followed by director of resort operations before ultimately accepting the position of the resort’s first woman to hold the general manager post, overseeing milestone achievements such as the Tourism Service Excellence Award for the property, consecutive receipt of the Travellers’ Choice Award and the opening of a multi-million-dollar investment, Eclipse at Half Moon.
Despite her rise to a position with great responsibility, overseeing all aspects of the resort’s operations and business development, she still pays keen attention to staff relations, never far away from where she planted roots and flourished – training and development. She authored a book, Managing Guest Encounters, for students and employees interested in a successful start in hospitality.
In the face of challenging and wonderful times, Shernette is there to remind her team of the core values that yield success – respect, integrity, certainty, and honesty. She clears the clutter to bring attention to the Half Moon values, which serve as the foundation for the positive human experience – among guests and staff.
Shernette is a teacher by nature, and she is driven by empowering people through information and knowledge. It is with this mindset that she developed training manuals for the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), which they still use today, and played a part in the development of the National Training Agency’s hospitality curriculum.
She is involved and is eager to play a helpful and supportive role in any way she can, manifesting as memberships of various boards such as the Montego Bay Community College Advisory Board for hospitality, tourism and creative studies, and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association Membership and Recognition Committee. She was also involved as past chairperson of the Management Advisory Committee for Human Employment and Resource Training Agency, HEART, and of the JHTA Kenilworth HEART Academy Villa Service Advisory Committee.
Despite her full schedule of commitments, Shernette is an avid volunteer and responds to the call in any way she can to support the development of Jamaica through Half Moon’s charitable initiatives and personal efforts. She has served on the management board for the Montego Bay Community College and as board chairperson of Teamwork Learning Centre, which facilitates the training of young adults from volatile communities in housekeeping, and food and beverage for hospitality.
In her quiet moments, she prays and reads – scriptures of encouragement are never far from mind – and brings focus to her family and the success of her three children with her husband, Donat Crichton Jr. At the end of it all, she sees to their nourishment, spreads the word of God through Sunday School, and cannot resist throwing down her cards in a good game of dominoes.