How the AI resort was started in Jamaica.

[poolguywindsor]

PGW. Werw you cruising the beach balls out?

Yep, and there is a photo out there from oneof the Jacka#@$ that I was there with, but that was only after they had this crazy drinkin party on Booby Cay and we were running and sliding between the naked girls legs. Never mind.

[Misti1]

I am NOT a fan of AI's. Let me first say that I by no means know how ALL of them are run, but I do have first hand knowledge of the business practices of SOME of them. While you are enjoying your "all I can eat and all the bad liquor I can drink", and looking at the smiling faces who serve you, those faces are suffering mightily. Raises this century are almost unheard of and the salaries most of the workers are paid would not feed a cat. In the meantime, the COST of an all inclusive VaCay HAVE kept pace with inflation. That worker will work a SIX day week, up to 12 hour or more days (remember US worker, you get at least two days off a week). In the meantime, NO consideration is given for work scheduling. Meaning that worker can work until late in the night and THEN be scheduled to come on board for their next shift early AM. with maybe 3 hours sleep possible,

Tipping..... remember that your literature told you your ALL INCLUSIVE package INCLUDED all staff tips. LMAO... they never saw a DIME of that this millennium. In the meantime, if YOU try to tip them , and they are caught taking it, they are FIRED, and even a bad job is better than no job at all. Many times resorts will hire silent guests to pretend to be vacationing who are really undercover. Tipping is a big scare because these guests will offer really irresistible tips and the minute the worker takes it, JOB OVEr. They don't have to do this often , as the threat is hanging there always.

Did you know that if your worker is lucky enough to have a private vehicle, that they are searched everyday they leave work. trunk popped, and mirror run under the car?? I am not telling you what I THINK, I am telling you what I KNOW, I have been in the car with them. Back packs are searched at random, pat down searches, even CAVITY searches, YES,,,,, to insure that not even a bottle of water is stolen from the AI.

Ever see the men haul the tables and chairs and drapes through the sand down to the beach for that breakfast buffet or Jamaica night you love so much, and then wait around until the wee hours of the morning to break it all down and then be there bright and early to set up breakfast?

All of this for somewhere between 40.00-60.00 a week US for wages.


Now BEFORE you start defending your AI and telling me all this is BS, I will tell you that these are places I STAYED and became friends with the people who worked there and i KNOW what I am talking about when it comes to this AI.

I also have done my homework and the ONLY AI in Jamaica that does NOT exhibit most of these unfair practices is the Ritz Carlton, and most Jamaicans would give an eye teeth to work there.

I do not support the AI system, I think it is a form of modern day slavery, and as a black person of conscious, I will NOT spend my money at them, nor support them with my travel business. For all of you who claim to LOVE Jamaica so much, I urge you to open your eyes. But then again, you just can't beat those air package deals,can you??? And after all ,it is all about YOUR VACATION right?? I will say this though, if AI's were to cease to exist a WHOLE lot of people would be out of a job, even if it is a very bad job... so it is an unsolvable dilemma... kill the chicken or kill the egg???? But at least open your eyes.

[Flipadelphia26]

Yep, and there is a photo out there from oneof the Jacka#@$ that I was there with, but that was only after they had this crazy drinkin party on Booby Cay and we were running and sliding between the naked girls legs. Never mind.

You know you're too old to do these shenanigans now. Right?

Think of Jackie cruising by on the beach and looking over lol. Poor thing.

[Flipadelphia26]

hey flipadelphia, yall decided where u r staying on the beach yet?

No.... You going to be down same time?

[groove16]

looks like it...

[poolguywindsor]

From what I see at Hedonism now, I am not quite old enough or wrinkled up enough to do a repeat performance!

[Flipadelphia26]

Lmao! So true. Btw. We walked through over New Years and Jackie starts freaking out and pointing at something I noticed minutes earlier. A woman pleasuring her boyfriend/husband with her mouth. lmao.

[Flipadelphia26]

looks like it...

Where you thinking?

I'm leaning toward

Kuyaba
Gatehouse villa
Wild parrot
Fun holiday
Nirvana.

Going to get serious in about a week or 2

[poolguywindsor]

Misti1, I get what your saying and thats true they are not always the best jobs, better than none though. I just stayed at Seashore Bay and they have an open tip policy, with most of the workers left over from Beaches they seemed to be really happy with the changes and the relaxed employee rules, it showed too as a guest.
One of the good things that comes from the AI , there are always those tourists that never would have travelled to Jamaica without them, and a certain percent who make there way out of the compound and discover whats out there return several times to support other tourism.

[Flipadelphia26]

PGW. You're right about that. We would have never went to Jamaica without AI. We could have randomly went to another island instead.

We learned on the fly. Didn't know about this board until after we came home.