Posted by Aruba Daily on October 29th, 2014
Eagle Beach – Managing Director Alex Nieuwmeyer, was joined by his entire executive team for a recent retirement party of thirteen employees at the Alhambra Ballroom, among them Seferina Briezen a Reservations Agent, better known as Inchi, who was the queen of the reservation department for 45 years, anticipating and fulfilling guests’ special needs and requests, and bartender Juan Tromp, better known as Juancho, a veteran of 45 years, a masterful mixologist from the Pelican Bar, who together with Inchi enjoyed a thundering round of applause during their retirement party, for completing their long and successful careers.
They both started at Divi Resort in 1969, when it first opened under American entrepreneur Walter Wiggins, who was credited with “inventing” the concept of barefoot elegance on Aruba. Divi Resorts has since grown to become the largest independent timeshare operator in the Caribbean, but its roots may be traced to Aruba in July of 1969 when Wiggins, a New York attorney opened his first resort and named it after the indigenous windblown tree, hiring Inchi and Juancho as part of the new hotel personnel.
Divi repeat guest Bobby Adams, a former Divi shareholder and a personal friend of Inchi and Juancho, happened to be on vacation at the Divi that week and was able to join the festivities. Juancho proudly returned to her a beer mug she gave him as a gift at the opening of the Pelican Bar in 1969. He still had it hanging at the bar, and decided to retire the mug, along with his bartending career.
The friends had a wonderful time reminiscing about the old day, and expressing gratitude for five decades of friendship and frequent Aruba vacations.
Pictured here, unforgettable party moments at the retirement party, Divi Resorts, with Inchi, Juancho & Bobby.
