Who is St. Barth Properties?

St. Barth Properties (SBP) is now in its 20th year creating and delivering its signature dream vacations to a growing international clientele – exclusively on the island of St. Barth. The company represents a portfolio of over 150 private villas, a distinctive collection of elegant hotels – The Hotels of St. Barth – and offers a full range of concierge services.

SBP’s History

St. Barth Properties was founded by American Peg Walsh, an inveterate traveler who delighted in planning vacations for family and friends. She frequently vacationed in the Caribbean, visiting many of the islands over the years. In 1986 she arrived in St. Barth and it was love at first sight. One could say she never really left.

She bought a little bit of her new found paradise – a small pied-à-terre in Gustavia, listed it with a local rental company but ultimately, was disappointed in the lack of results. Quite simply she decided to market the property herself. Voila!

Many people attribute Peg’s success to a combination of her passion for St. Barth and the exceptionally high level of service she offers. Good news travels fast and soon Peg was fielding calls and requests for information from all over the world. In 1989 St. Barth Properties was officially born, representing a small group of carefully selected private villas.

Peg worked tirelessly to meet the needs (and budgets) of her growing clientele. She became an invaluable resource to a growing number of travel agents and coined and trademarked the company motto Live Your Dream®. It became the foundation of SBP’s mission statement.

In 1992 Peg’s son, Tom Smyth joined the business armed with degree in business, an in-depth knowledge and passion for St. Barth and a keen interest in eCommerce and the web. The business grew exponentially from that point

Building on Peg’s relationships, SBP began representing a collection of the island’s finest hotels; Tom ventured successfully into real estate sales, a natural next step for SBP. And in 1999 the office in St. Barth was opened and staffed, thus ensuring full service from the planning stage to the realization of each client’s’ dream vacation and for some, villa ownership.

St. Barth Properties Today

Although the company has grown, Peg and Tom, now SBP’s vice president, continue to monitor the growth to preserve the high-touch client contact and personal feel that has made the company so successful.

Peg now lives on St. Barth for six months of the year keeping hands-on with villa owners and clients, continuing to build valuable relationships with the islands hoteliers, restaurateurs and shop owners, as well as working in real estate sales. In February 2006 under the direction of Tom Smyth, SBP’s on-island affiliate office became St. Barth Properties Sothebys International Realty.

Peg’s six months stateside include frequent inspection trips back with staff members to ensure that each has the destination knowledge to advise SBP’s clients and travel agent partners.

In June, 2006 and again in 2007, Peg was named one of the top villa rental agents, world wide by Condé Nast Traveler and was singled out as the best in St. Barth. Fodor’s and Frommer’s agree. The expertise and customer service of the SBP team have been noted time and again. Before departure, clients receive Peg’s seven-page Helpful Hints; many report back that it served as their “bible” while on the island.

St. Barth Properties is a partner in the prestigious Virtuoso network, an international consortium of high-end travel agencies and is a member of the St. Barth Hotel Association, the Caribbean Hotel Association, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN), an allied member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and a member of the Better Business Bureau.

We know you will love this tiny unspoiled island where you too, can “Live Your Dream” ®. And, we are sure you will find the enthusiasm displayed by the team at St. Barth Properties to be contagious. Please contact us for your ultimate St. Barth dream vacation or to purchase a villa.

Meet the Team

Julie Nally is a graduate of North Adams State College where she majored in Public Relations and later garnered extensive experience in a Boston advertising firm. Julie is celebrating her tenth anniversary with SBP this year and reaching that milestone includes over twenty-five trips to St. Barth! Those visits represent regular inspection trips and vacations with family and friends. Needless to say she is passionate about the island and applies her expertise to plan and ensure dream vacations for all her clients. Julie enjoys a special rapport with her growing clientele and over the years, many have become personal friends.

Anne-Cécile Bedford is a native of France; she graduated from the University of Bretagne in France and came to the US in 1994. Additionally she holds a Certificate in Travel and Tourism from Roger Williams University. Her love of her native French culture makes her regular trips to St. Barth very special. Anne is bilingual, a St. Barth Specialist and her charming accent enchants all her clients

Kathryn Schlitzer holds both Bachelors and Masters Degrees, respectively in Geography and Communications. She came to SBP with wealth of valuable experience in the travel industry including as the manager of educational services at the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA). Kathy also held the position of assistant dean, at Dean College in Franklin, MA. Her great appreciation for the need to deliver the highest possible level of customer service and strong work ethic are great assets to SBP. Kathy holds the position of director of client services and is a St. Barth Specialist.

Bonnie Beaver began her career at SBP as an executive assistant; in 2002, she was named a St. Barth Specialist and joined the sales team. Her frequent trips to the island keep her well informed and her congenial attitude, exuberant enthusiasm, and willingness to go that “extra step” make her a huge asset to SBP and its overall operation. The Hotels of St. Barth are one of Bonnie’s particular areas of expertise.

Patricia Connolly came on board as an administrative assistant in 2003. Her thirty years of professional administrative experience and her solid skills aid in the day- to- day operations and the communication between the U.S. and St. Barth offices. Patty’s enthusiastic and friendly personality makes her a joy to work with.

Connie Walsh is a 20 year travel industry veteran with extensive sales and marketing experience in tour operation, hotels and car rental. Her particular area of expertise is the agency distribution channel and she has managed national accounts and field sales for a number of travel suppliers. Previously the director of sales at the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) now known as the Travel Institute, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). Connie joined the team in 2005 as our travel industry consultant and her primary focus is on our relationship with our travel agent partners. Additionally she works on a variety of other marketing initiatives including copy-writing, web content and editing the Portfolio.

Toni Laronga joined the team in February, 2006 as executive assistant to Tom Smyth. Toni is an inveterate multi-tasker with strong communication, administrative and organizational skills. She has already undertaken streamlining SBP’s systems and procedures for greater efficiency and productivity. Toni is the ultimate team player and through a variety of initiatives has increased communication among and between the US and St. Barth teams

Julia Hurd joined the staff this past spring in the newly created role of sales and service coordinator. Julia has some twenty years of sales-focused administrative experience and a strong service ethic that she applies to both internal and external customers. She supports the sales team in many ways including the fulfillment of client requests. On any given day, she is happily making dinner reservations at the island’s trendiest restaurants and arranging for in-villa massages. She functions as the point person for the on-island staff regarding the coordination of both services and information. She made her first trip to St. Barth in June and is excited to be working with the destination and SBP’s clients.