IN a continued effort to enhance their community relations in the Montego Bay area, the recently opened Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall Hotel, treated a group of 250 local doctors, nurses and immigration officers to gourmet lunches on Monday, National Heroes Day.

Of the 250 lunches prepared, 150 were served to the nurses and doctors at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, 20 to those at the Montego Bay Hope Medical Centre and 50 to the immigration officers at the Sangster International Airport.

The lunches included fried chicken, escoveitched fish, pasta salad, cold slaw, chocolate cake, ripe banana, apple, potato chips and refreshment.

According to the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall’s director of public and community relations, Verona Carter, a more appropriate day could not have been selected for the luncheon, which cost the hotel more than $200,000.

“I thought it was a good idea by Ritz-Carlton to treat the doctors and nurses to lunch and I hope it’s the beginning of a long relationship between the Ritz-Carlton and the hospital staff,” said Dr Karen Earle, of the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

Dr. Dennisford Scarlett echoed her sentiments.

“We are very appreciative of what the Ritz-Carlton team has done for us. I hope they make it an annual thing,” he told the Observer.

In the meantime, while Carter would not commit to making the luncheon for hospital staff an annual event, she said they would, in future, seek to serve other members of the civil service.

“We would love to have it as an annual event but at the moment we cannot commit ourselves because the hotel has just opened; and we want to share what we have at the hotel not only with one set but with everybody in the civil service,” Carter said.

She added that plans were afoot to undertake other community-based projects. One such project is the sponsorship of 12 members of the Montego Bay High School’s Tourism Action Club, who will be sent to the Ritz-Carlton, Buck Head Hotel in Atlanta for a five-day training programme in service excellence for the hospitality industry.

In addition, Carter said they would renovate the Rose Hall craft market and start a training programme for persons employed there.

“Ritz-Carlton believes in playing an integral part in the development of the community and we want all of Jamaica to feel a part of what we are doing at the Ritz-Carlton. (these community projects) show how committed we are,” Carter said.