When Conrad Adams turned his Clifton, Union Island, family home into a six room Guest House 54 years ago, making it the first on the island and one of the first in the Grenadines, there was no Tourist Board, no Tourism Awareness Week and no Ministry of Tourism.{{more}}

But the vision to make a hotel one of his many business ventures paid not only financial dividends, but also made his establishment one of the most popular resorts on the island.

Sitting in the lobby of the now expanded hotel, his widow Amuthel, and one of his eight children, retired civil servant Yvonne Adams Raymond, recollected the origins of the building, and pondered the future of not only the hotel but also the tourism industry.

“When we started, there were no hotels here. There was no Petit St. Vincent, no Palm Island,” the elder Adams recalled.

“We changed our minds from getting into the shipping business, and decided to open a guest house instead.”

Adams indicated that visitors were already staying at their home for free, so it was a wise business decision to start a guest house.

And it remained that way for close to 20 years, before another establishment was set up on the island, while the Adams’ expanded from guest house to hotel.

Adams also became involved in other businesses, including a soda making business, shipping, a bakery and two supermarkets.

The late Adams, who was awarded an OBE and MBE, was an avid sports fan who especially liked cricket.

He also enjoyed politics; one of his daughters, Stephanie Browne, is a former politician who contested for the New Democratic Party.

He passed away in 1989 at the age of 70.

Both Amuthel and Yvonne agree that things have come a long way from when they got started in 1953.

They also both agree that there is a lot of room for improvement.

“In the customer service, there is training needed. But the problem there is that after a person is trained they usually leave the business.”

The older Adams also believes that there should be greater cooperation between business owners, saying that while they need to maintain competitiveness, they should not be undermining each other.

She also lamented the treatment that some water taxi operators and boat people mete out to visitors.

According to her daughter Yvonne, who overlooks the business with sister Marie Adams Hazell: “We have something here

to sell and it is well desired, but we have to improve if we are to continue selling.”

The Adams family sees the business being around for a long time to come, after experiencing a better season this year than last year.