For the owner of the Saletoga Sands Resort & Spa, his company's post-Covid pandemic recovery efforts have been a mix of both heartbreak and joy.

Resort owner Gavin Brightwell told the Samoa Observer in a recent interview that it's been heartbreaking through recovery, but they've managed to stay open throughout the pandemic period, which has been an achievement.

He said the company has also had to make personal sacrifices during the pandemic in order to continue to pay all their staff. 

"I sold my personal car and even all the rental cars were sold to pay for the employees," Mr. Brightwell said in an interview. 

Saletoga is one few resorts in Samoa which strived to stay open since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 and managed to do so.

And while the resort tried to navigate the challenges brought on by pandemic, another threat also loomed from outside the tourism sector with staff signing up for the seasonal work scheme. 

Mr. Brightwell said losing their staff to seasonal work either in Australia or New Zealand became a major challenge for the resort. 

Prior to the pandemic, the resort had over 120 employees and at the height of the lockdown staff numbers dropped to as low as 30 one stage.

But the opening of Samoa's international borders in August last year and the arrival of tourists has boosted staff numbers to over 200, according to the resort owner. 

He said while their new staff are not up to the standards one would expect, the objective behind their hiring from the community was to assist families during challenging times. 

The resort's maintenance bill also continues to increase with Mr. Brightwell revealing that it would cost a fortune to repair their rundown facilities in order to stay open. 

He said currently the resort has 76 rooms available for guests which is a major boost from the initial 25 rooms when they first opened.