Meet Emilia Ek, the Activities Coordinator at The Royal Haciendas. Originally from Izamal in Yucatán, Emilia joined Royal Resorts 12 years ago. Her first job was in the Activities Center at The Royal Caribbean, followed by The Royal Cancun and then The Royal Sands. In 2006, she moved to The Royal Haciendas to head up the new Activity Center.
She says, “ When The Royal Haciendas opened there were four of us, the department has now grown to 15 including staff in the Kids Club. As a pilot project we are integrating the Sports Desk staff to improve coordination of the services we offer members and guests, so that makes us 22 in total.”
When planning new activities Emilia says that she takes into account the suggestions and comments of members and guests and tries to include a wide variety of sports, games, crafts sessions and family activities in the program. She says, “Due to the larger areas we have here at the resort, we have been able to achieve things that perhaps haven’t been possible in Cancun. We have a giant chess set in the gardens, a bigger Kids Club and we are adding more evening activities too.”
Emilia was named Manager of the Year in 2014 and this has motivated her to plan even more activities, including some in support of the Royal Resorts Foundation charity causes. She explains, “We have organized events to commemorate Earth Hour and Earth Day, the Mayan New Year and the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. We have had a Mayan Craft Market at the resort and in October we had a bracelet/necklace making activity, all in pink to raise money for the Royal Resorts Foundation’s cancer screening program. We also have a weekly piñata making activity for the children. All paper used is recycled and the money we raise from this also goes to the Royal Resorts Foundation.
On the topic of new activities for members to enjoy on their next trip to The Royal Haciendas, Emilia had this to say. “We will be starting a bike tour in December and we will be adding tennis clinics and a weekly tournament in January. In the evening, there will be Mayan or Mexican shows and bingo or cards night and children will be able to enjoy a pajama night. Our goal is to eventually have five nights with different children’s activities.
“We want families to share experiences, have a great time and come back and the activities we offer them play a part in this, she adds.” “We are always looking for new fun things to offer members and guests. It’s immensely satisfying when you are able to plan and carry out new projects.”
I love working at Royal Resorts, it is wonderful to know that you can create a new experience for guests and you have the support to bring your project to fruition, something that will put a smile on someone’s face or will enrich their vacation.”
