D E S TIN A TIO N S
Accommodations range from one-bedroom villas to five-bedroom estates.
Standing out from the resorts that line Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, is no easy feat, given that the destination’s signature 12-mile stretch of sand and turquoise waters is home to an impressive lineup of properties. The bulk of them, however, are clustered in a four-mile
swath from Beaches Turks & Caicos on the west to Club Med Turkoise
on the east.
Homey touches at Turks and Caicos’ Somerset
Thankfully, no resort is on top of its
neighbor. Sand, land and beach grass define
the property lines, giving guests at each a
sense of privacy and space.
Somewhere in the middle of the pack,
tucked between the Regent Palms Turks &
“This is meant to be an oasis
and a home away from every-
day life and routine,” said Ulrich
Krauer, managing director.
Krauer’s interpretation of
“home” means accommodations
that range from 1,400-square-
foot, one-bedroom garden villas
to 5,300-square-foot, five-bedroom oceanfront estates.
All units have large, full-service
kitchens with Viking appliances, washer-dryers, wide terraces and balconies, high
ceilings with fans and in-room amenities
that include bars stocked with the guests’
personal beverage preferences, complimentary WiFi and marble bathrooms supplied
Ulrich Krauer
Managing Director
The Somerset
with European toiletries.
Krauer joined the Somerset management
team last October, coming from the Kona Village Resort in Hawaii, which remains closed
after sustaining significant damage from last
The resort’s tagline, “
Sophisticated and Surprising,” is Krauer’s
mantra.
“This year the Somerset has
turned up the dial on customer service,” Krauer said. “We
opened in November 2006, the
resort went through a management change last year, and the owners
formed their own management company,
which is when I joined the property.
“We and they are committed to retaining
the residential flavor and feel of the property while at the same time offering a five-
▼
CARIBBEAN
star experience,” he said.
At the forefront is Krauer’s focus on
agents.
“Agents are our most important part-
ners,” Krauer said. “We pay commissions
immediately upon the guest’s departure,
and we also offer an online gift form for
travel agents who book through wholesal-
ers so their clients can receive a gift in the
room from them upon arrival.”
A typical gift is a rum cake placed inside
a coconut husk.
“This business is all about personal
touches,” Krauer said. “Competitive times
demand it, and we deliver because it is im-
portant that agents know there is another
choice among Caribbean resorts. We want
them to know what the Somerset can do,
and we want to grow this market.”
New features at the resort this winter in-
clude an online concierge service that en-
ables guests to order grocery items for their
suites in advance of arrival.
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