October 8, 2008

President's Corner
with Enrique De Marchena Kaluche
On Active Participation…
As with any cooperative organization, the level of success we at CHTA can achieve is virtually unlimited, but at the same time, our success is dependent not only on our membership dues, but on the active participation of our valued members. For example, we recently concluded our Caribbean Hotels Retreat in St. Kitts, which was a resounding success. Members in attendance benefitted tremendously from presentations on the newest operations and marketing trends, and those to whom I've spoken agreed that the networking was invaluable. Regrettably, many of our members were unable to make it, but I strongly encourage each of you to make every effort to attend Caribbean Marketplace in January and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference in April. But active participation should not stop there. We at CHTA are working hard to provide our members with every available resource to increase your brand awareness and presence, from co-op marketing and advertising opportunities to education programs through which local staff can improve and become more effective in their daily jobs. But we can’t do it alone – we need you to stay involved and take advantage of the opportunities we provide. You’re reading this right now which is a good sign! Next I encourage you to evaluate how your business can take better advantage of your CHTA membership benefits and program so that we can work more closely together toward our mutual goal – increasing your profitability and ensuring the sustainability of Caribbean tourism.

Caribbean Hotels Retreat ~ Record Attendance
CHTA would like to thank hosts St. Kitts and Nevis Hotel & Tourism Association and our Caribbean Hotels Retreat Sponsors: American Express, Caribbean Travel & Life, Choice Hotels International, DNS Management Services, Interval International and Virgin Holidays. Those hoteliers that attended have been armed with many tools and insight with which to survive and profit during today’s rough economic conditions. A total of 187 delegates attended the conference. For more information regarding the Retreat, please click here for press releases of the event.

Attention Caribbean Marketplace 2009 Delegates, St Lucia, Jan. 18-20, 2009
British Airways and Air Jamaica have confirmed airlift rates for Caribbean Marketplace 2009. Click here to view options. At 14 weeks out, registration-to-date has more than 50 buyer companies from across the globe registered. Don’t miss the single most important networking event for suppliers to the Caribbean travel industry. Click here for registration details. Questions? Send e-mail to events@caribbeanhotelassociation.com.

CHTA Develops Public Relations For Small Hotels Program
Several years ago, the CHTA Advocacy Committee created a special public relations package to help small hotels that have not previously worked with PR firms and need assistance, but could not afford to establish a full-service public relations campaign. This "one-time only" package is available only to CHTA members that are small hotels with 75 rooms or less that do not have a budget to compete effectively during these difficult times, and will be provided only by KTCpr (CHTA's agency) or other appropriate CHTA member public relations firms to ensure no conflicts of interest. The package consists of a Press Kit with four releases and photos on a CD distributed to 200 of North America's most important consumer newspaper, magazine and trade publications. In addition to the Press Kit, a number of releases would be prepared during the year to create continuity of image for the resort. One release would go out each month during a 12 month period distributed electronically to more than 1,200 media outlets across North America and could include select publications in Europe if desired at no extra cost. Please contact Richard Kahn, KTCpr, directly with any questions at tel: 516-594-4100 / e-mail: R.Kahn@KTCpr.com

St. Kitts & Nevis To Launch Small Hotel Incentive Policy
St. Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas unveiled his government's plan for improving "small hotel properties through an incentive system that would be tied into qualitative conditions" – a policy he expects to have in place shortly. "Standards and global competitiveness must be in the driving seat of governments' investment programs, and concessions must no longer be seen as a hand out from government," said the prime minister, clarifying that "businesses on the receiving end of government concessions must also be on the delivering point of improved productivity through quality service to customers and responsible empowerment of employees." This will allow the twin island federation to raise the bar and improve its tourism product, as well as its image, with the ultimate goal of attracting a more sophisticated traveler with more spending power.

CHTA Weekly News is produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association for its members and stakeholders. Please submit all comments to communication@caribbeanhotelassociation.com

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Coming Up

Caribbean Marketplace 2009
January 18-20, 2009
St. Lucia

13th Annual Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC)
April 14-16, 2009
Bermuda

Taste of the Caribbean
2009

European Corner
XL Leisure Fall Could Hit Dynamic Packaging
The fall of the XL Leisure Group has pulled the rug out from under the dynamic packaging sector – but the effect could be short-lived. On Holiday Group chief executive Steve Endacott said travel agents who sell dynamic packages had been hit hard by the loss of two million seats from the market. This could result in agents moving away from dynamic packaging because of the confusion around financial protection, and returning to traditional packages, he suggested. "Many travel agents still do not understand ATOL. It could go one way or the other in terms of whether travel agents go off dynamic packaging," he said. Rival bed bank Lowcost Travel Group chief executive Paul Evans agreed the collapse would benefit package tour operators and lead to bed banks fighting each other for business. He said: "It means we will become more aggressive and take business from other people. There is no doubt seat rates will go up because of fuel and less capacity and that will play into the hands of the package tour operators." (Source: Travel Weekly) – Those in need of contact information or assistance in regards to the XL closure are encouraged to click here for the CHTA & AGM Communication Alert from September 2, 2008.

Holidays Are The Last Thing The British Want To Give Up
For all the bad economic news, official figures show a recession-proof lust for foreign parts: Britons made 3% more trips abroad in the three months to July than in the same period last year, and a healthy chunk of them were off to gîtes and beaches. "Holidays are the last thing people cut back on," says Sean Tipton, of the Association of British Travel Agents. Mr Tipton's data show a slight dip in bookings for next summer; but Sara Smalley at Ascent Market Intelligence, a travel consultancy, says that these are 2% higher, and breaks this winter are up by 6%. Lastminute.com, an online travel agent, saw a 10% year-on-year increase in the second week of September in people booking their next vacation. Although the tourism business is not (or not yet) disintegrating, it does seem to be changing. Two-week holidays are becoming a thing of the past, with many people preferring shorter but more frequent breaks. This may partly account for resilient-looking figures. More perversely still, given a weakening economy, rising unemployment and higher inflation, tastes in holidays seem to be moving upmarket. According to Smalley, there is a steep decline in holidays that cost less than £400 and a commensurate rise in those costing £800 or more, especially to the Caribbean. As gloom mounts at home, it seems that Britons are willing to pay more to escape it. (Source: The Economist)

Member Corner

Hilden America Inc. Unveils New Website
Hilden America Inc., a leading provider of luxury table, bed and bath linen for the hospitality industry, has unveiled a new website www.hildenamerica.com. The site offers improved functionality for browsing and selecting linens including detailed product images, accurate product color representations, close-up views of design and quality stitching and new product offerings. Hilden America Inc. offers sophisticated products of unbeatable quality for a range of clients including four- and five-star hotels and fine dining establishments. With seasoned staff and a 130-year-old weaving heritage, Hilden America Inc. fuses tradition with technology to maintain quality, provide outstanding customer service, and dependable delivery dates. For more information, contact Beth Davis / tel. (804) 332-5265 / e-mail: bdavis@hildenamerica.com / website: www.hildenamerica.com

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