Sun Group Hotels appoints Shireene Mathlin-Tulloch as COO

Sun Group Hotels has appointed Shireene Mathlin-Tulloch as Chief Operating Officer, bringing more than 30 years of Caribbean hospitality experience to its senior leadership team. The appointment places an executive with a background spanning hotel operations, tourism marketing and multi-property management in a central role at the group.

In its appointment announcement, Sun Group Hotels highlighted her experience in strategic planning, team development and guest experience alongside operational leadership. The company said she was already engaging with teams and properties, with an emphasis on strengthening operations, supporting employees and contributing to growth.

Those priorities give the appointment a clear operational focus. For hotel owners and managers following the move, the emphasis on people and property-level engagement is particularly relevant to how a group-wide leadership role connects with everyday service delivery.

Shireene Mathlin-Tulloch brings regional experience

Shireene Mathlin-Tulloch’s earlier experience includes serving as Chief Executive Officer of Mango Bay Group. Her Intimate Hotels of Barbados biography describes a portfolio comprising Mango Bay Hotel, The Sands Barbados, Island Inn Hotel and Island Caterers, providing a background across accommodation and catering businesses.

Her tourism career began in the early 1990s at the Grenada Board of Tourism, initially as a marketing officer and subsequently as a sales representative in its New York office. She later worked across Caribbean hospitality markets including Jamaica, the US Virgin Islands and Antigua.

That experience has encompassed small luxury boutique hotels and larger internationally branded properties. Roles listed in her professional biography include general manager, director of operations, operations consultant, front office manager and guest services manager.

Her academic background includes an MSc in Tourism Marketing from the University of Surrey and a BSc in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. Together, the career history and qualifications span both the commercial and operational sides of hospitality.

A varied hotel portfolio across two islands

Sun Group Hotels presents its portfolio as five hotels across Barbados and St Lucia. The locally owned and operated business offers a range of accommodation formats, from three-star stays to four-star properties, with individual hotels serving different types of guest.

Its Barbados collection includes Time Out Hotel in St Lawrence Gap, Savannah Beach Club Hotel on the south coast, Sugar Cane Club Hotel & Spa in the north of the island, and Worthing Court Apartment Hotel. Bel Jou Hotel extends the portfolio into St Lucia.

The mix encompasses beachfront resort accommodation, a hotel and spa setting, self-catering studios and apartments, and an adults-only, all-inclusive offering at Bel Jou. These different formats provide useful context for the group’s stated focus on operations and guest experience.

For a business serving several guest segments, consistent service and support for property teams are practical management priorities. The appointment’s emphasis on team development suggests that people leadership will sit alongside operational oversight as Mathlin-Tulloch works with the group.

Her combination of regional experience and exposure to different hotel models is relevant to that task. The immediate focus outlined by Sun Group Hotels is on working with its existing people and properties while supporting the organisation’s growth.

Explore more hospitality leadership moves in WINC Wire’s appointments coverage.