Guests from all around the world already know The Fort Young is at the heart of their Dominica holidays. With the release of its new ‘Happy Video’ on social media, The Nature Island’s oldest hotel has shown that its staff know how to have a good time too.
Working with local production company 365mmp, the hotel has cut its own video to accompany the music of Pharell’s global hit ‘Happy’ joining hundreds of versions from destinations around the world as far flung as New Caledonia, Madagascar and Paris.
What makes the Fort Young’s so special is that it is a celebration of its staff, with everyone from receptionists to chef, security guards to the maintenance team taking part. Of course any opportunity to dance will always reveal who has the best moves, and The Fort Young’s Happy video is no exception. While everyone displays great rhythm and joy, some of the team stand out: in particular Maintenance technician Alexis, who can be seen wining in slow motion, and Elvis Prosper, the security host who breakdances his way through the video.
Even the Executive Chairman Gregor Nassief gets in on the act, showing he’s a mover and a shaker on the island in more than just business. “The Fort Young team loves what they do and we wanted to find a fun and exciting way to bring out that passion for us to celebrate and for everyone to see,” explained Gregor Nassief. “Happy employees leads to happy customers – it’s contagious.”
The video is also a wonderful showcase for the hotel’s recent refurbishment, with the action taking place in some of its most celebrated locations, from the new fine dining Palisades restaurant to the private waterfall and iconic jetty more often used for guests heading off on diving trips or wedding photos. Viewers are also taken behind the scenes with some rarely seen shots from inside the laundry, offices and kitchens.
“Given the amount of time work takes from our lives, we had better be happy and passionate about what we do!,” explains Avril Karam who is HR Manager and the driving force behind the creation of Fort Young’s Happy Video. “This was the perfect project to highlight that and the staff were absolutely fantastic from start to finish. This is really just the beginning as we aim to create and sustain this happy culture at the Fort Young.”
The video has been released on Youtube: http://youtu.be/hjnsJIRjEws and shared on social media with the hashtag #HappyDominica, encouraging people to share what makes them happy about the island, and thus spread the happiness even further.
The Fort Young Hotel wants to acknowledge and thank Pharrell Williams for this brilliant song which has shown the world how contagious happiness can be.
NICK NICE O SEE YOU ON THE MOVE LOL.. AH DANCE YOU AH DANCE BWAII.. ….. FROM AUNTY LOL
Geez!!! Such a beautiful song! Very nice that Fort Young/ Dominica could showcase its dancing talent and “togetherness” with that song, which has gone super viral. Compliments to all who helped to produce this lovely video.
I love it. Great Job Fort Young Management and Staff. I keep playing it over and over. This is one of the best versions I have seen. The Artists have really made many people “happy” with his song.
all in good fun .enjoyed watching it a lil hard to watch at times but o well good times
I love this video
OMG You guys look am-a-zing!!! Miss and love you all. Nicky, Prosper, Baron “daddy” Camisha, House keeping and kitchen staff Estherrrrrr. Lots of new faces but my love to you nonetheless! Yippeeee!!!!!
Nice! I laughed alot! That security guy has some serious moves!
SAT made one too so it’s not Dominica’s version of happy DNO…but still nice video
Its a press release not a DNO story
this is fantastic.
NO comment, oops too late!
Wow! I love it. Nothing is wrong with the advertisement and everyone had a Happy face while dancing I saw my cousin getting his groove on..lol some people are too quick to criticize instead of contributing. The person who thought it was crap should submit his video depicting his version of “Happy.”so the public would see the level of his intelligence and stupidity.Had it been an American advertisement he would be quick to Like it. I love it and find no flaws no one is perfect. Hats off to Fort Young staff.
Congrats to Avril and company. Great initiative and lovely video! I enjoyed it to the fullest.
Great video! Couldn’t stop smiling..
Great promotion video!
“Guests from all around the world already know The Fort Young is at the heart of their Dominica holidays.”
That is total nonsense!
People who knows about Fort Young, are people who must travel to Dominica, and have no alternative; and I suppose the people who owns Fort Young want the status quo to remain.
I am not impressed with the garbage way in which the proprietors of that guesthouse presents it. If I was a foreigner, planing a trip to Dominica, and saw that comical mess they term happiness, I would do everything in my power to avoid a place like that!
There is nothing classy about what I saw, it is comical, and if it serve any purpose it might be keeping a certain class of people away from that mess. I do not know when Dominicans will wake up, and realize our stupidity, and foolish actions as in that garbage only serves to damage our country.
I would worry about eating in a place like that, and there are many reasons why I would not eat in a place like that, based on what I observed in that comedy. If I an nobody boy from the mud of Wesley could have observed these things, the curious mind of a none Dominica may have seen more! One can make it seem like Fort Young is a house hold name somewhere, but that is only a myth; as usual we make ourselves believe anything we wish in Dominica.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
You are, as always, so full of yourself Wesley boy.
You must be off your meds.
Where is all this coming from?
I always suspected you were an idiot. You just confirmed my suspicion. Fool!
Dude could you like just virtually go away??????
You seem to have a personal problem, with forth young hotel.
It is a very nice promotion, for the hotel, and the Dominican people as well.grudgefull people , are easy to recognize. GREAT JOB GUYS, it’s called marketing. Lol.
sometimes i really agree there is a really thin line between foolishness and stupidity…i just cant figure out which one you fit in….
u just miserable!
Get a darn life you miserable old fart. You know too much, have too much and just way too little much for your own good.For a senior citizen you are very bitter. Now come with how much degree you have, rental property, zillions in bank and who you can buy but you are still a bitter degenerate and nothing can change that.
Bitter about what?
I do not need a job, I desire nothing from Fort Young, If I have the need to visit Dominica anytime soon, Fort Young would not be the place I would select to stay for one day, or a minuet for that matter.
You people are not accustom to anything, you are backward, and frightened over the less, and the worst of anything. Where are your ambitions? A hundred years from now that place will be the same as it is, and it will remain Dominica’s best!
Backwards we are, backwards we shall remain.
I am not impressed,and I do not believe their comical stunt has impress any foreigner who saw that masquerade.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
You people are dumb. And thank me for teaching you how to spell fart. You all can curse me out as you wish; I do not care. I am just happy that I do not possess the sick and backward mentality which many of you entertain. Your happiness, is nothing different to that of a slave, in slavery, when the massa directed the slaves to dance they danced. When the master who beat them, until their epidermis strip from their flesh, hence we derive at the term “Back Raw,” when he die the slaves were ordered to cry.
When the slave masters and owners became ill, the slaves were ordered to walk around with sad faces. The mess played out at Fort Young, is nothing less than the slave mentality in action. Finally it is great to be a senior citizen, especially a darn rich one!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
What a put down by the “boy from the mud of Wesley”! Some people are going to great lengths to promote Dominica and this guy is frustrating that effort. I am not surprised, given his derogatory criticism of house keepers.
He measures everything by the grandeur of Los Angeles. The US must have blown his mind. Has he been to the ghettos of LA? Ce peti beete ki ka fere ou amen Dominique ( terrible kweyol spelling ).
PS: The laundry attendant has some smashing moves too, although I think she is holding back, in her shy and modest way. I love that last move mama!
Stout Man, this mud boy here, do not dance to the music of others you know; I have my very own set standards, and class!
In Dominica every pile of rubbish is acceptable; that is one of the reasons Dominica remains so undeveloped, backward and poor. If the proprietors, and employees of that place had anything more productive, to do and keep busy they would not have the time to indulge in such foolishness.
I observed one of the dancing with a white potato she is supposed to be pealing, falling over with laughter, with the potato in her hand. When people are cooking in an environment such as a hotel, guesthouse, or restaurant, care must be taken to avoid the body fluids, such as saliva (spit) from flying from people’s mouth unto the food being prepared at any phase.
When someone speaks, and laugh over what they are cocking chances are they may salivate in the food they are cooking. Talking, laughing, and dancing while cooking food in such an environment, is not sanitary at all, what I saw if I were to find that happening in any Hotel I am registered, I would immediately check out.
Stout Man, one day at about 2:00 P. M. I checked into a certain hotel in Las Vegas, I did not go up into the room until somewhere around 11:00 P. M., when I got into the room, I found white plastic drinking glass in the room, I did not ask to change them, I simply went back to the checkout desk, ensure that they credit my credit card, with the money I paid, and left and went to a better place.
Fort Young may be a Dominican luxury; however, keep in mind I have been into residential homes with as many rooms, and more luxurious than that okay. So what may impress you and some Dominicans, to some of us that’s nothing, it not all that significant!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
I am inclined to believe that you are a Dominican but I am also hoping that you are not. How could you put down your own country and people in such a shameful manner for the whole world to see? Disgraceful! Have some national pride. You don’t have to like the Fort Young but the things you say about them and your country was uncalled for. It makes you look very little in the eyes of the public.
You should check out other Youtube videos on this viral song danced all around the world. This article is a press release obviously prepared by the Hotel so readers or foreigners should realize that the video is part of the hotel’s marketing campaign and not a write up sent in by an independent party.
In your posts, you do come across as bitter over the days of slavery or some other personal massa experience though. Do you really think that the staff were cooerced into participating in the video? They don’t appear to be…seems like they felt that taking part in the video would help to boost sales and hence maintain their jobs.
Just looked up idiot in the dictionary and lo and behold your photo was prominently featured!
Congrats to Fort Young Hotel and the new management team lead by their forward thinking and creative General Manager.
You are in a league of your own.
Great moves Fort Young
Happiness really is contagious. Really nice video.
I loved it!!
awwwww….i enjoyed this sooooooo much!!!!
this was so creative! great piece