Chorten Wangyel, General Manager at The Cove Eleuthera, Bahamas, has more than a decade experience in the high-end hospitality market. A graduate of the Master Certification Program in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, Chorten has worked in some of the most well-appointed five-star resorts in Asia and the Caribbean. His management at The Cove Eleuthera led to its ranking in leading travel guides as one of the world's top hotels and among the very best in the Caribbean.
Two short years of The Cove’s opening, Chorten guided the management team on its successful sale and transition to new resort owners – the Arizona-based Enchantment Resorts – in 2015.
Chorten began life in a small, remote village in Bhutan, a country situated in the Himalayas, lying between China and India, where he taught IT for three years. Fortuitously, it was his knowledge of IT and Hospitality that lead him into the industry that matched the true yearnings of his heart.
In 2004, Chorten was selected by Uma by COMO Hotel & Resorts as an IT Manager for its hotels. At COMO, Chorten gained first-hand exposure to multiple areas of resort operations, acting as the interim Beverage, General and Purchasing Manager when needed.
After six years of stellar advancement, Chorten was offered the opportunity to work outside of COMO's Asia properties and head to the Caribbean, working briefly at the Canouan island in St. Vincent; the Grenadines and at Uma Bhutan as its Front Office Manager.
At Parrot Cay by COMO on the Turks and Caicos’ private island, he served from 2009 to 2011 as IT Manager and, while there, encountered numerous celebrities and wealthy businessmen, including world-class developer and entrepreneur Sidney Torres IV, who would very shortly choose Chorten to oversee the opening and all operations of The Cove Eleuthera. Chorten built The Cove’s operational framework and culture as well as managed daily resort operations and provided overall leadership to ensure the continuous delivery of outstanding guest service and financial profitability. Directing all hotel operations, including sales and marketing, property development, food and beverage, guest services, human resources, and IT , he continues to supervise a robust staff of 120 members.
Under Chorten's management, The Cove Eleuthera has received top rankings in Fodor's "The World's Best 100 Hotels", Trip Advisor 2014 Traveler's Choice, Travel & Leisure List of the Best New Hotels 2014, Conde Nast's 31 Places to Have the Perfect Beach Vacation, Forbes Travel guide Hot 20 list and Top 5 Hotels in the Caribbean, and has been Awarded Development of the Year 2013 by Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS). It is also Grand Award winner in the January 2016 issue of Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report.
In additon to his Master’s Certificate in Hospitality Management and Certificate in Hospitality Marketing from Cornell, Chorten also holds a diploma in Hotel Operations from the Institute of Hotel Management, Good Shepherd, Kalimpong, India. He is married to the lovely, Tshering Pem with whom he has two beautiful children, Ugyen Kinchup Wangyel, 11 and Tsheden Lekshey Wangyel , 9.