Who is St. Barth Properties?

St. Barth Properties (SBP) is now in its 22nd 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 when Condé Nast Traveler magazine began its Villa Rental Specialists award, Peg was named one of the top villa rental agents, worldwide, by Condé Nast Traveler and was singled out as the best in St. Barth. Peg has continued to win this distinguished award in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.  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. Upon graduating, she moved to Boston to work in an advertising agency and later was offered a position at St. Barth Properties. She decided it was the perfect career move for her. After more than 11 years with the company, it turns out she was right. Julie loves the French experience that St. Barth offers and enjoys sharing her knowledge and passion for the island with her clients in the planning of their vacations.

Anne-Cécile Bedford was born in France and educated at the University of Brittany, where she graduated with a degree in economics. Her passion for travel brought her to the US in 1994, where she enrolled at Rhode Island’s Roger Williams University and earned a certificate in travel and tourism that led to her dream job at St. Barth Properties in 1999. Anne makes regular trips to the island and delights in the opportunity to reconnect with her beloved French culture. Her clients rely on her expertise in helping them choose the perfect accommodations, ensuring a dream vacation.

Kathryn Schlitzer holds both a bachelors and a masters degree, respectively, in geography and communications. She came to SBP in 2000 with a wealth of valuable experience in the travel industry including managing educational services at the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA). Kathy also held the position of assistant dean at Dean College in Franklin, MA. Kathy’s strong work ethic and her customer service skills are great assets to SBP. Kathy holds the position of director of client services and is a St. Barth Specialist.

Connie Walsh, CTC, began working with SBP three years ago in the role of travel industry consultant. An industry veteran with over 20 years of broad-based senior-level sales and marketing experience, she focuses on the travel agency distribution channel, our relationship with the Virtuoso network and manages a number of consumer marketing initiatives. In addition, Connie writes our monthly e-newsletter content for our website and our annual publication, Live Your Dream.

Toni Laronga joined the team in February 2006 as executive assistant to Tom Smyth. Toni’s extensive and diverse skills have served the company well, as she has played a significant role in strengthening the organizational structure and communication between the US and St. Barth offices. She has improved the operational processes, which has enhanced staff efficiency. Her role extends far beyond that of a traditional executive assistant: she runs the day-to-day operations and lends her expertise to every aspect of the business. Toni is the ultimate team player who truly utilizes her knowledge base and experience and continues to have a positive impact on the company.

Julia Hurd joined the staff in April 2007 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. Julia functions as the point person for the on-island staff coordinating services and information. Julia has made three trips to St. Barth over this past year and loves working with SBP’s clients.

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