Kevin Hendrickson, one of the four children of retired business tycoon Karl Hendrickson, is the man behind The Courtleigh Hotel & Suites, Kingston's most successful hotel. Perhaps what makes this tale so much of a success story is the fact that this enterprising venture was deemed unlikely to succeed by many observers.

At the time of the acquisition of the Marcus Garvey building, which was to be renovated as the home for the new Courtleigh, skepticism was perhaps justified. The environment in Kingston's hospitality industry was one of relatively low occupancy with intense competition between the existing players.

By the time Hendrickson was embarking in the new venture, however, he had already built a strong reputation for excellent, personalized service himself. Hendrickson felt that if he could combine this reputation with an impressive property featuring elegant furniture and state of the art facilities, he would fill his rooms.

The project was a monumental one as the property had been locked up for many years after formerly being the residence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After a careful assessment of the building, Hendrickson made a command decision, rip it all out and start from scratch. The investment was huge but Hendrickson had a dream and he saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

The project took just over 11 months to complete and saw the total transformation of this office building into a fantastic new hotel that is one of the leading corporate hotels in Kingston today. Modernization was at the heart of the project and saw the implementation of state-of-the-art point of sales systems, fire prevention and sprinkler systems throughout the property, an intricate surveillance camera system and electronic key lock for bedrooms and access to the elevators as well as dataports in all guests rooms for internet/e-mail access. All this was in the aim to increase efficiency and provide an elevated level of comfort to potential guests. Hendrickson knew also that his success lay in the putting together the right team. He not only solicited his best staff from the old Courtleigh, but also looked for the best and brightest young people to lead the charge for the new property.

The investment has more than paid off and Hendrickson smiles broadly as many guests continue to describe the Courtleigh as "their home away from home". The hotel enjoys enviable 90-95% occupancy and takes pride in exceeding the expectations of its guests. With constant innovation and upgrading it maintains its position of prominence in Kingston.
The Hendrickson family also operate in Jamaica other gems including the Sunset Beach Resort & Spa in Montego Bay, The Sunset at the Palms in Negril, Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios, The Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, The Ruins at the Falls in Ocho Rios and Coconut Bay in St. Lucia.

We welcome you to make it your home away from home.