US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association

Point Pleasant General Manager Jahmed Mills is a true local success story! Mills grew up on St. Thomas, attending local public schools and eventually the University of the Virgin Islands where he received a B.A in Accounting and a MBA in Business Management.

Mills said he fell in love with the tourism industry while working at Marriott Frenchman’s Reef as a credit manager where he conducted customer service calls to gather feedback from guests after they left the resort. He eventually moved to North Carolina where he started working at the front desk as an agent, then supervisor, then assistant front office manager, then front office manager in the span of two years. He noted that his focus on the guest experience helped the hotel to rank in the top 10 full service Marriotts for guest service in the region. Mills was then offered a general manger position at an exclusive Autograph Collection Hotel in the Bahamas where he worked for two years before returning to St. Thomas. He manages today with a passion guided by customer service.

“Whenever someone visits our resort or our island, we should be welcoming to them as if we invited them to our homes to spend a week or few days while here,” Mills said. “My passion for being hospitable in the tourism industry propels me to continue learning more about people, and understanding how my experience can help shape the outcome of theirs in some way, shape or form.”

Mills also noted he believes we should think outside of the box to promote the territory. He mentioned an experience he recently had in Dallas where he was offered unique and outstanding customer service, and how memorable that experience had been for them. He encourages fellow tourism stakeholders to be innovative in coming up with ideas to boost tourism in the territory.

“Although people escape to the Virgin Islands for the beautiful turquoise beaches, the service is what they should remember,” he said.