Interview with Kirk Hughes of La Vue Boutique Hotel and Flavours Restaurant

My Anguilla Experience recently sat down with Mr. Kirk Hughes to discuss Flavours Restaurant and La Vue Boutique Inn.  Read on for Part 2 of what this forward thinking entrepreneur said about La Vue and Flavours restaurant in Anguilla.

 

MAE: How did you come up with the name for La Vue?

 

Kirk: We wanted to come up with a name to incorporate the view. After a Google search there were too many entities with the name The View including a morning show. We tried translating ‘The View’ in Spanish and that didn’t work.  Lynne of Irie Life is our French neighbor and we look out for each other with a lot of love. I went to her to find out if the translation for The View in French could work. She was away but 9:00 that night she came over and said the French for ‘The View’ was ‘La Vue.’ It was perfect for us. We spell the name in French and pronounce it in English.

 

MAE: Why should visitors choose La Vue?

 

Kirk: We have to create something to make visitors have the desire to come to La Vue. We are not a typical Bed and Breakfast but we kept the idea and concept of a Bed and Breakfast.

A stay at La Vue will evoke the feeling of someone sharing their home with you. We create an atmosphere of home away from home but we offer it in a hotel setting.  La Vue is very comfortable and we ensure guests have all they need at a very affordable price.

My friend Hanna definitely had that experience when she stayed at La Vue for a month. Kirk said within a week she was jumping in the car with Joy, sitting at the front desk and helping others just like part of the family.

 

MAE: What types of guests does La Vue attract?

Kirk: We attract guests from the business community, that is, consultants, technicians, lawyers and other professionals. 90% of our occupancy is from business people. We are connected to the business community in Anguilla and most bookings are done locally.

La Vue is ideal for business visitors because we provide

1)    A place to stay

2)    Wifi

3)    A convenient and easily accessible location

4)    A comfortable room with a wonderful view is also an asset

We don’t do a lot of marketing as marketing is expensive. However, we are also seeing more support from regular tourists. They would be driving by and stop and see a room and make a booking right away.

We have 28 rooms operational and 32 rooms in total.  It is not a big hotel and we don’t have plans to expand so it has not been too difficult to keep the rooms occupied.

 

MAE: What makes the Staff at La Vue special?

Kirk: We are like family. Our staff is typical to what we sell. They don’t appear to be working; they appear to be doing chores at home. It is simply within them to want things to go well and they ensure everything is done.

And then My Anguilla Experience asked Kirk about Flavours Restaurant….

 

MAE: What makes Flavours restaurant special?

Kirk: It is a local restaurant and we have taken local and Caribbean dishes and topped them. One of the things I have a passion for is that I do not want to sell what I do not like. I love good food and I love flavours food and enjoy sharing it with others

I don’t believe we have mastered our own local product in Anguilla. At Flavours, we serve dishes like half a chicken, Flavours Pepper pot, local fried Johnny Cakes with ratatouille, rice and peas the way our grandmother would do it. We don’t buy canned peas nor do we pressure cook the peas.

We have a product most customers will like. The service has to top it off. We don’t pamper guests but we do make them feel comfortable and welcome. For example, we serve garlic mash potatoes but we had a customer call us and say that she didn’t want garlic in her mash potatoes. We made that happen.

 

MAE: What is your favourite dish at the restaurant?

Kirk: I love steak and so do my daughters and that’s not local. My love for steak is one of the reasons it is called Flavours Caribbean Steak house.

 

MAE: Tell us more about Jazz on the lawn and other themed events?

Kirk: The team sat had a discussion about doing something different in terms of entertainment hence the idea of jazz on the lawn. As I indicated earlier Flavours is about creating the platform. We wanted someone who had not performed at other hotels before. Samara Gumbs was a great choice and she is our main singer. Come and see Sam at La Vue. Everyone loves her. Jazz on the law is as simple as it can be and people love it.

In addition, on Thursday nights, we make the event open and accessible for artists and entrepreneurs to showcase their products whether it is art, jewellery, CD’s etc. We have had artists display paintings, persons display jewellery etc.  Call Curly Gumb, our restaurant manager and let her know what you want to display.

On Tuesday the 28^th of May, we started hosting the Spoken Word. It will be held every Tuesday poolside at La Vue. Entertainment is limited in Anguilla and we seized the opportunity to introduce a different entertainment option. Spoken Word will be open to everyone but we would like to work closely with the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School (sixth form) for performers. We would like to create a competition or some method to generate money for scholarships etc.

 

 

MAE: If you aren’t eating at Flavours, where are you eating?

Kirk: A home cooked meal at my sister’s house. I look forward to Friday nights with family. We usually have Barbeques, soup nights etcetera. and if things are hard we just have good conversations. Family is very important to me.

 

It was indeed a pleasure for myanguillaexperience.com to interview Mr. Kirk Hughes of La Vue and Flavours Restaurant. He is an Anguillian entrepreneur and an inspiration to many.

 

La Vue and Flavours

The French architectural style building located on the backstreet of South Hill includes Flavours Restaurant and La Vue Boutique Inn. It features comfortable and affordable rooms with private balconies and an open design concept at the restaurant which allows every guest to enjoy the awe-inspiring view right from their dining table.

Guests and visitors are also able to enjoy the pool and the accompanying Bar and Grill. There is also a fully equipped conference room for hosting seminars, meetings and like events.

All of these features within a compact area make La Vue an ideal location for many events including wedding receptions. Just recently the very first Hair Show and Expo organised by Rebecca Webster owner of Unbeweavable Divas was held at La Vue.

For further information on La Vue Boutique Inn and Flavours Restaurant visit them at
Backstreet,  South Hill ,Anguilla AI 2640
Tel: 1-264-497-6623
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://lavueanguilla.com/