I drove onto the beautiful grounds of the Beachcombers Hotel and marveled at how this once 6 room Inn had become this now 56-room, award-winning standard bearer for Boutique Hotel comfort, service and excellence on Saint Vincent; and the simple answer is Flora Gunn née Richardson.
Flora greeted me with a warm smile and twinkle in her eye. She is the definition of casual chic, managing to look at once stylish and comfortable as she ushered me in to her office for our chat. Who is this tall and striking woman, with an air of calm, urgent, confidence? She is, a true example of a real woman of business. She exudes quiet strength, dignity, and has a wonderful sense of humour.
To hear her tell it, Flora Richardson as she then was, is the last of eight children 6 boys and 2 girls, born in Kingstown in a one storey modest home, where Gunsam’s Business is now located. She attended the Kingstown Preparatory School and then the Girls’ High School where she enjoyed Math and Netball, playing in tournaments against visiting teams to Saint Vincent. She describes her childhood as a happy one. While her sister Norma spent her time indoors, Flora got up to hijinks with her brothers, who taught her to drive – first a jeep and then a truck. Everyone had their chores to do, polishing floors and furniture, and Flora was no different. She learnt hard work and manners from her parents, who were strict and loving.
After High School, Flora entered the workforce at Barclays where she started as a teller and worked her way up to doing entries on something called the Waste. She met her husband Richard “Dick” Gunn at the Bank where he spent a great deal of time in the line changing five-dollar notes (no doubt he was captivated by her radiance). She credits her future husband with convincing her to enter the Carnival Queen Competition in 1962.
“He organized everything.” And she smiles at the memory of how, in her “naive stupidity”, she took to the stage, wondering how she had gotten herself into this. She walked away with the crown and entered married life with her husband. They welcomed three children Anthony, Cheryl and Beverley and soon her husband’s posting as a Diplomat at the British High Commission saw her and her youngest daughter heading off to the UK, where her sense of style and organizational skill made her a credit to the office, and all that the Commission did while in the UK.
Today she teaches her grandchildren the same values she learnt and chuckles as she says, “To tell them about life, I take them shopping, and when they can’t escape from the car, I explain the importance of having faith, the sacrament, (she’s Anglican), good values, and, I keep it real. I tell them about businesses that went under because of lack of commitment of owners. They can’t get away when you take them driving you see.”
After her husband’s tragic death, Flora said she couldn’t crawl up into a ball and die herself, she had her children and the Beachcombers Hotel, at the time six rooms, to figure out what to do with. She threw herself into work and placed socializing on the back burner. She battled banks and naysayers, and the weight of managing it all. It wasn’t easy. Over thirty years, facing every challenge as a widow with her children, wanting to improve the hotel, she pushed forward. Adding rooms and a conference room, improving the pool, expanding the restaurant, and improving the rooms. She persevered and her astute business sense and never-give-up attitude has yielded great results. She was the first person with a sauna in Saint Vincent and offered spa services to women and men. She also taught yoga and fitness.
Flora’s taste and obvious skill in interior design can be seen all over the hotel. Every room has a touch of that “je ne sais quoi” which adds to its appeal – some classy detail that makes you happy to be there. Surprisingly, Flora loves the entire process of building, and recounts the nonplussed look on her builder’s face, and those of his workmen who couldn’t believe the extent of her involvement with them to ensure that her vision for the hotel is brought to life. Be it conference room, or additional wing, Flora sees it, conceptualizes what she wants, and she gets it done.
Beachcombers is a lovely property sitting on maybe an acre of land. It was a country beach house that was developed bit by bit, wing by wing over the years. Now, with her daughters Cheryl and Beverley doing quite a bit remotely, they manage a staff numbering forty-six, five of whom have been with Beachcombers for over two decades and counting.
Flora now tries to find more time for herself, to enjoy what improvements have come over the years. Maintenance is an everyday thing, and she is constantly active, still with an eye for detail and interior design, welcoming visitors and a favourite with her staff. She is happy with what she and her family along with their staff have built. She takes some credit for their success, but gives, “All Thanks and Praise to God my dear.”
