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Caribbean Small Hotels Get Lifeline
Posted January 29, 2008
WASHINGTON DC, - Small hotels struggling for guests in
a crowded market and competing with richer, larger and
well-promoted properties are being offered a lifeline by a
Caribbean-American travel executive who is on a mission to
uncover small hotels in the Caribbean that are losing money
and experiencing dwindling occupancy rates.
Responding to concerns about the reduced frequency and high
cost of intra-regional travel and its adverse affects on
hotel occupancies, Haitian-American Caroline Racine,
Director of Caribbean Franchise Development at Choice Hotels
International - the strategic hotel partner of the Caribbean
Hotel Association - recommended that access to
state-of-the-art revenue management systems and strong
marketing muscle could help bring businesses "into the
black" before long.
Haitian-American Caroline Racine of Choice Hotels
(far right) connects with tourism and media
officials at Caribbean Marketplace in the Bahamas
this month. From left is Stephanie Villedrouin of
Haiti's Le Montcel hotel; Sue Gilman, publisher of
Caribbean Travel & Life; and Pierre Chauvet,
president of Agence Citadelle in Haiti.
Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and St.
Lucia's Minister of Tourism, Senator Allen Chastanet
recently warned that the small hotel sector was facing
collapse if intra-regional travel continues to decline.
He said there had been huge declines in airlift to St. Lucia
since the merger of regional airlines LIAT and Caribbean
Star, and the proposed sale of American Eagle added further
uncertainty.
Racine, who recently attended Counterpart International's
Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) in
St. Lucia and the Caribbean Hotel Association's Caribbean
Marketplace in the Bahamas, has been presenting a compelling
business case on enhancing performance.
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"We are providing the Caribbean small hotel community access
to a global stage of travelers, a powerful reservations
system, a US$175 million marketing campaign, access to
revenue management tools and dedicated Brand Performance
Consultants," said Racine who noted that in 2006 its 10
mid-scale properties in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Curaçao,
Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Turks and Caicos
averaged a year-round occupancy of 78 percent and an average
daily room rate of US$150.
Racine - whose chain comprises multiple, diverse brands -
reports 60 percent of the hotels within the Caribbean Hotel
Association membership are small hotels (75 rooms or less) -
and while the intra-regional market is of critical
importance so is the United States which accounts for more
than 50 percent of Caribbean travel. "Many of these
travelers rely heavily on brand recognition and reliability
when selecting hotel accommodations," said Racine, who wants
to help independent, underperforming hotels achieve greater
levels of success.
"The Caribbean is blessed to have a daughter of the region
with significant international expertise traversing its
waters and providing such an important lifeline," said Lelei
LeLaulu, president of Counterpart International and an
expert in sustainable tourism development. "Branding
strategies are imperative in today's competitive business
environment," said LeLaulu, who lauded the Choice model for
not centering its efforts on acquisition of Caribbean
hotels, but helping owners stay competitive over the long
run in a changing landscape.
Choice Hotels International franchises more than 5,300
hotels, representing over than 430,000 rooms, in the United
States and 40 other countries and territories. Their brands
include Cambria Suites, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites,
Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn,
MainStay Suites and Suburban Extended Stay Hotels.
For more than 42 years, Counterpart International has given
people a voice in their own future through smart
partnerships, offering options and access to tools for
sustained social, economic and environmental development.
