Change of direction at Humber Valley Resort

Paul Shelley, the resort’s new general manager, is making strides to ensure people from this province know the amenities of the resort are open to them too.

Shelley, a former Tourism minister for the province, said many people in this province, especially those on the east coast, central, and in Labrador, don’t realize what is available to them in the Humber Valley.

He said even local residents haven’t been utilizing the chalets, golf course or restaurants on site.“Our idea is to basically have more Newfoundlanders and Labradorians around the resort,” Shelley told The Western Star. “To be quite frank about it, the guests we have here — a lot of the Europeans, British and German, and the Americans — say on a regular basis that they like golfing with the local residents and meeting them at the restaurants. It’s a win-win for everybody, when we have more of our own people experience the resort.“... Guests here from Europe love talking with Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. I have always said, especially in my role as Tourism minister, our greatest asset is the people who live here. It was really what I call a no-brainer for me, that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians mingling with our guests is a great attribute, and I’ve gotten that feedback from our guests.”

Shelley said more and more local people are beginning to bring their families to the beach and availing of water activities such as kayaking. He said the resort has three restaurants, and a fine dining facility is now opening at the beach house. A new beach volleyball league is about to begin there too.Shelley agrees with many local people who believe services are too pricey for them, especially at the golf facility.

During his short time at the helm, he’s already introduced resident rates and other promotions to get golfers to experience the course, ranked among the best in Canada.Another thing he said, people are unaware of is that the chalets are available for locals to rent.“... This is a vision that Humber Valley Resort has had for a while now and I guess I’m the one who is going to aggressively push it forward. The timing is right now — the fact we are growing and getting more visitors here, and they are talking about the hospitality of Newfoundland and Labrador. It just fits so well.”

The general manager said the interest from magazine and tourist writers in Canada, the United States and Europe should attract more guests from abroad.He feels he has taking over at the right time.“We have all this here now, but the potential for it is still growing,” he said. “It’s starting to get better organized now and I am getting handle on things. We have some great people working here — it is just a matter of organization, leadership and a mood that’s starting to grow.”Shelley is equally excited about the winter season. He said the word is growing throughout Europe of the world-class skiing and snowmobile product offered here.
Western Star