The MPE Caribbean Report Newsletter offers travel, tourism, Caribbean and global news in a newsletter format. To share stories, information or intelligence, contact us at [email protected].

From Bevan Springer

MAY 16, 2022

Everybody loves “CHRIS”

Vanessa Ledesma, Acting CEO and Director General of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), will be in attendance at CHRIS this week.

Major movers and shakers in the Caribbean tourism sector will converge in South Florida beginning today for CHRIS.

CHRIS stands for the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit.

The conference will be held May 16 and 17 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. It is one of the most noteworthy hotel investment conferences for the Caribbean. 

CHRIS features networking opportunities and an extensive array of sessions and panels led by hotel and finance industry experts.

Key statistics:

• About 400 registered delegates
• Nearly 1 in 3 delegates hold the title Chairman, CEO, President, or Owner
• Nearly 1 in 4 companies are capital markets (debt and equity) or development firms
• Almost 30 countries represented

Among other awards, the 2021 CHRIS Development of the Year Award will be announced, recognizing a newly built, redeveloped or repositioned (after significant product renovations and/or enhancements) hotel that opened, reopened or completed its repositioning in the Caribbean region between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. 

Tune in next week for more details on the conference’s outcome.

Caribbean tourism rebound will create new jobs

It’s time for Caribbean tourism to ramp up in order to meet the impending surge of arrivals and continued growth.

Global travel experts predict a massive increase in global international inbound travel, and the Caribbean and Latin America are leading the way.

CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig believes that the Caribbean tourism sector must do more to source and train its own people to meet the industry’s growing labor needs.

“It is imperative for our members to be diligent in staffing their properties and enterprises with trained, qualified hospitality professionals,” she stated. 

The CHTA leader acknowledged there remain some challenges within the region around labor supply in the market.

But she also believes the association’s networking opportunities, the on-the-ground public-private partnerships, and its Caribbean Tourism Job Bank can be useful tools in bridging the gap between supply and demand.

CHTA’s Caribbean Tourism Job Bank can be found at https://jobbank.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/. 

CHTA Education Foundation and Les Roches partner on Caribbean education

Caribbean hospitality employees are invited and encouraged to apply for admission to the Caribbean Hospitality Professional Development Program.

The program is sponsored by Les Roches Global Hospitality Education and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF).

Launched in 2021, the jointly-sponsored initiative targets Caribbean hospitality employees on the management track.

The deadline for applications is June 15, 2022, with a program start date in September. 

Candidates can apply at www.chtaef.com/caribbean-hospitality-professional-development-program or learn more here https://learn.lesroches.edu/caribbean-executive-scholarship.html.

Puntacana Resort & Club announces upgrades 

Puntacana Resort & Club has announced major plans to refresh The Westin Puntacana Resort & Club and La Cana Golf Course. The announcement came during the 22nd edition of the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE), organized by the Dominican Republic’s Hotel and Tourism Association (ASONAHORES). The Westin will experience a complete remodeling of its in-house restaurants, new bars and the construction of two new themed restaurants, a steakhouse and an Asian-influenced eatery, expanding the world-class gastronomic experience available to guests. In addition to the renovation of 200 sleeping rooms, the hotel is also expanding conference room space. The first stage of room remodeling begins at the end of June. The hotel will close in September and reopen in mid-October. The refreshed La Cana Golf Course (9 holes at Tortuga Bay) will include new landscaping and major course improvements. More than 160 suppliers and buyers from 20 countries participated in DATE this year. The meeting took place at the Barceló Bávaro Convention Center.

Photo of the week

U.S. Virgin Islands properties gearing up for fall reopening

Aimbridge Hospitality, a top global hospitality management services organization, has reported that two new resorts at Frenchman’s Reef in St. Thomas will open this year under newly-named Marriott brands.

The two resorts, The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman’s Reef and The Seaborn at Frenchman’s Reef, Autograph Collection,are expected to open in the Fall of 2022.

The move is part of an extensive $350 million rebuild following the devastation caused by the 2017 Category 5 hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The Westin will offer 392 rooms, including 28 suites, six restaurants and lounges and three ocean view pools. 

Set along a beautiful quarter-mile stretch of beach, The Seaborn will offer a more secluded stay experience with 94 guest rooms, including two suites. 

Visit www.frenchmansreefstthomas.com for more information.

MPE Caribbean Report

International junior tennis has returned to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands this month. MPE Caribbean Report looks at the importance of competitive tennis and the sports tourism benefits it brings.

Marketplace Excellence Corporation (MPE) is a global public relations, marketing and media company.