CHTA Monthly Newsletter, October 2014

Have You Registered For Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2015 in Puerto Rico, Jan. 28-30, 2015 Don’t miss out on Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the region’s largest and most important marketing event, taking place Jan. 28-30, 2015 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. Representatives from CHTA-member hotels, destinations, attractions and transportation companies who attend will meet face-to-face with international wholesalers selling Caribbean vacation travel. Supplier registration packages start at $1,419 when reserved by Oct. 17 for a small booth, one delegate and one schedule. Buyers interested in registering will be charged $299 per person (after the third buyer delegate, the fee is reduced to $129 per additional delegate). Registration is accessible here. Log-in codes for online registration have been sent to all previous qualified participants. Those who have not received a log-in code should contact CHTA. Caribbean Travel Marketplace is organized by CHTA and the Puerto Rico Destination Team, comprised of the Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association (PRHTA), the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) and Meet Puerto Rico, along with Host Sponsors and Strategic Partners Interval International, MasterCard and TravelZoo. Full event details can be accessed here. Companies interested in sponsoring Caribbean Travel Marketplace should email Deborah Sas or call 305-443-3040. 2015 CHTA Membership Renewals Need to Be Paid For Caribbean Travel Marketplace Registration Read More Emil Lee Appoints Three Additional Regional Vice Presidents Read More CHICOS Program To Examine Countries For Investment, Profitability of Sustainable Hotels & Capital Opportunities Nov. 13-14 Read More Return on Investment for Sustainable Hotels Read More CHTA President Emil Lee Remarks About Private – Public Partnerships Read More New in the CHTA Data Center • STR – Caribbean Lodging Performance Monthly Report – Aug 2014 • STR Pipeline Report – August 2014 • CTO Tourism Executive Brief – August 2014 • CTO Statistics – September 2014 • Anguilla Tourism Summary Report – August 2014 • Anguilla Tourism Statistics – September 14 • Aruba Status of Tourism Industry – August 2014 • Dominica Republic Tourism Bulletin  – August 2014 • Puerto Rico Tourism Statistics – May 2014 • Puerto Rico Tourism Statistics – June 2014 • St. Lucia Tourism Performance Report – July 2014 • St. Lucia Tourism Performance Report – August 2014 • USVI Forecasted Occupancy Report – October thru December 2014 The above reports and more can be found in the CHTA Data Center. National Hotel Association News Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association Hosts Tourism Awards The Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association (TRHTA) held its inaugural tourism awards last month during World Tourism Week 2014 to recognize Service Excellence in the tourism and hospitality industries. The gala awards dinner and dance focused on five core areas: Business Excellence Award – Tourism Supporting Services; Business Excellence Award – Direct Tourism Services; Outstanding Industry Employee Award; Hotelier of the Year Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. Pictured (l-r) are the TRHTA winners: Dennis Sammy, Nature Seekers , winner of the Direct Tourism Services Award, Diana Cohen-Chan, Kapok Hotel , winner of Hotelier of the Year Award, William Aguiton, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Pauline Felix-James, Courtyard by Marriott, winner of the Most Outstanding Industry Employee Award, and Brian Mac Farlane, Mac Farlane’s Design Studios, winner of the Tourism Supporting Services Award. The keynote speaker was Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, CHTA regional vice president and founder of Bedford Baker Group in the Bahamas. For event details, click here (Source: press release). The Puerto Rico Hotel And Tourism Association Honors Excellence In Employees Read More Industry Information Apple Leisure Group CEO Outlines Caribbean’s Challenges In CTO Keynote While Apple Leisure Group has a long-term commitment to the Caribbean, its CEO, Alex Zozaya, warned at last month’s Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) State of the Industry Conference that challenges exist that require a coordinated effort among all Caribbean countries to maintain a healthy relationship. These include fragmented regulations and lack of continuity in policies that scare investors; taxation and investment barriers that create uncertainty; barriers to visitor acces; bad statistics and late data; and the lack of a comprehensive energy plan. For the full story, click here (Source: Travel Weekly). Aviation Industry Officials Explore Ways To Make Caribbean Travel Cheaper, Easier Read More New Regional Marketing Approach Required Read More WTTC Economic Data Search Tool Read More STR: Caribbean/Mexico Pipeline For August Read More American Airlines To Begin Offering Daily Service To Grenada Read More LIAT’s New Caribbean Destination: Haiti Read More 3 Hotel Lessons From Music Mogul Read More CHTA Education Foundation CHTA Education Foundation Provides Grants For Two St. Croix Culinary Students; Leads To Job At Facebook Two St. Croix culinary students – Denika Boyd and Aaron Tutein – have landed jobs at the corporate campus of Facebook following interships at the online social networking company. The CHTA Education Foundation (CHTAEF), through its partnership with the St. Croix Foundation, a non-profit community organization dedicated to advancing the social, economic and business well-being of the US Virgin Islands, supported the students during their internship by providing both with a $1,000 grant to assist with expenses related to their participation in the program. For more, click here (Source: press release). Help CHTAEF Continue Funding Scholarships By Donating To Silent Auction Read More Strategic Partners CHTA Strategic Partner, Interval International, Extends Discounted Registration For CHTA Members At Shared Ownership Investment Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, Oct. 13 – 14 Discover why shared ownership improves occupancy and generates revenue, learn about vacation trends in the current economy and meet valuable industry contacts, including developers, lenders and timeshare experts at the 16th annual Shared Ownership Investment Conference (SOIC) at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Florida, from Oct. 13 – 14. Keynote speaker Kelly McDonald, author of How to Market to People Not Like You: Know It or Blow It Rules for Reaching Diverse Customers, will deliver savvy advice on how businesses can differentiate themselves from a sea of sameness. Participants will share insights and make valuable contacts with developers, hoteliers, lenders and investors, vacation ownership experts, and government tourism officials. CHTA Members enjoy a preferential registration fee of 20% off the standard rate per delegate when using promotional code “CHTA”. Additional discounts may apply for international attendees. Click here for more information about the conference, call toll-free 877-700-1153 (outside toll-free limits, call 305-668-3495), email information@sharedownershipinvestment.com, or visit www.sharedownershipInvestment.com and enter the promotional code “CHTA” when registering online. Three Ways Hotel Marketers Can Tap Into The Authenticity Trend Read More Design Approach – Outdoor Living In The Caribbean Read More The Map Gap: Is Your Hotel Getting Lost On The Web? Read More Members Corner Wine Enthusiast Names Esser Wines As Multiple “Best Buy” Esser Wines was recently awarded 4 of 5 “Best Buy” rating designations from Wine Enthusiast magazine, meaning Esser Wines possess an outstanding quality-to-price ratio. The most highly rated was the 2012 Chardonnay, ranked #18 of the top 100. Click here to see the full list. CHTA Members have special access to the highly rated Esser Wines that are being talked about around the world. Esser Wines is working with global ship handler and Caribbean distributor Fairn & Swanson who stocks all of the award-winning Esser wines in their Pompano Beach, FL warehouse at “special” prices exclusively to CHTA member hotels and restaurants. Click here for the for the special prices order form. If you should have any questions or comments please contact Earl Myers at earl@empwinebiz.com or by phone at 786-409-3141. If you would like more information about the wines, visit www.Esservineyards.com. In Memoriam CHTA Mourns The Loss of Journalist John Collins CHTA staff mourns the passing of well-known journalist, John Collins, who passed away in Puerto Rico in August at the age of 80 after a long illness. Fellow journalist Doreen Hemlock of the Sun Sentinel in Florida wrote “Collins, born in St Louis, Missouri, adopted the Caribbean as his home and lived in the US Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, St. Maarten and Puerto Rico. He visited almost every island and nation in the region. As an adviser on Caribbean affairs, he served three administrations in Puerto Rico from 1985-93 when the island helped develop its Section 936 loan program that provided more than US$1 billion in financing to 12 nations in the region.“Puerto Rico will never realize how much we owe to John Collins,” said Antonio Colorado, the island’s former Secretary of State and its former representative to US Congress. “Our relations with the Caribbean and everything we were able to accomplish in the 1980s and early 1990s was due in a very important part to what John did.” John Collins also advised the Dominican Republic administrations of Presidents Joaquín Balaguer and Leonel Fernández.” Collins also reported on CHTA affairs after attending many conferences and events that the association hosted. Ms. Hemlock’s full write-up about Mr. Collins can be read in Caribbean Business. We extend our condolences to his family and friends. CHTA Monthly News is produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association for its members and stakeholders. Please submit all comments to communication@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com Changes in your email address or membership information should be addressed tomembership@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com CHTA Monthly News may contain advertisements.