US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
CHTA 2018 Annual General Meeting Notice
In accordance with Article 30 of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Articles of Association, notice is hereby given that the 2018 Annual General Meeting will take place on June 22 at 8:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Miami, Florida.
The CHTA Nominating Committee recommended and the Executive Committee approved the following slate of officers to serve with our President-Elect Patricia Affonso-Dass who assumes office that day for the 2018-2020 Biennium.
- 1st Vice President Karen Whitt, Turks and Caicos
- 2nd Vice President Alberto Abreu, Dominican Republic
- 3rd Vice President Pablo Torres, Puerto Rico
- 4th Vice President Gregor Nassief, Dominica
- 5th Vice President Nicola Madden-Greig, Jamaica
- Treasurer Jim Hepple, Aruba
This proposed slate of officers will be submitted to the AGM and all members are encouraged to join us at the AGM and be involved in the process to elect our future leadership.
We remind you that CHIEF, the Caribbean’s most exciting b2b professional development forum, will be taking place the same week. CHIEF connects members with their peers, industry experts and best practices to help you improve your business and your bottom line. Click here to view the schedule for the committee meetings, CHIEF and Taste of the Caribbean, and our exciting new event Caribbean305, which are scheduled for that week.
Join Us at CHIEF
Caribbean hoteliers and industry stakeholders will immerse themselves in three days of intensive education and networking in Miami next month at the fourth Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum at the Hyatt Regency Miami from June 22 to 24.
Produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, CHIEF is a high-level forum for hospitality education with interactive workshops, panel discussions and the sharing of best practices.
“CHIEF has established itself as the preeminent forum for the region’s hospitality professionals to share ideas and learn from each other, and we look forward to another weekend of stimulating presentations and discussions to help our industry,” said Karolin Troubetzkoy, CHTA’s President.
General sessions this year will consider the importance of having a proactive communications strategy during crises; promoting a culture of inclusion; focusing on women in leadership positions; and how the traditional hotel sector can best cope with the transformative nature of the accommodations industry.
The breakout sessions deal with operations, sales and marketing and other aspects of industry sustainability. Delegates will explore timely and vital topics such as insurance coverage, crisis communications, human resource development, customer satisfaction, guest reviews, storytelling, energy efficiency, digital marketing and virtual reality technology.
“CHIEF delegates – from frontline staff to senior management leaders – will gain valuable knowledge and insight to prepare them for the wide variety of challenges facing today’s hospitality industry professionals,” said Frank Comito, CHTA’s CEO and director general.
Professional development and a vibrant speed networking session will be featured again this year at CHIEF, which will also host Taste of the Caribbean, where the region’s best chefs and their teams will compete. Taste of the Caribbean also offers insight and experience for food and beverage participants, who can learn the latest trends and techniques emerging from Caribbean kitchens.
Also returning to Miami this year will be CHTA’s Caribbean305 event, where flavors from more than a dozen Caribbean nations will be simmering at the culinary and cultural celebration taking place on Miami’s Jungle Island on June 23 at 8 p.m.
For further information, visit www.chtachief.com.
Caribbean Hoteliers Advised to Become GDPR Compliant
Caribbean hoteliers are being advised to ensure European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance.
During a recent webinar hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Brian Kent, CEO and co-Founder of Flip.to, explained that the GDPR imposes a strict set of requirements on how and why companies collect and use personal data. CHTA emphasizes that sound data privacy protection practices are essential for every business regardless of GDPR.
“Companies now have to provide the right to individuals to know what data a company has about you,” he disclosed. “It also is requiring … that a company that’s handling your data is doing it in a really secure way as well as being really good stewards of it.”
Kent said the regulation does not restrict companies from using data, but ensures that personal information is protected and that individuals have rights related to their personal information.
GDPR protects the privacy not only of EU citizens worldwide but also of anyone who is party to a transaction while in the EU. Failure to comply with the new regulation can result in financial penalties ranging from €10 million, or two percent of annual revenue, up to €20 million, or four percent of annual revenue.
Given the growing concerns about corporate security breaches and mishandling of personal information, many organizations are taking a new look at their existing policies for handling and protecting information in their client databases.
The hospitality industry is particularly vulnerable to data breaches, said Frank Comito, director general and CEO of CHTA. From reservations and payment processing to rewards programs and guest services, hotels and other businesses have multiple touch points with customers during which customer data is exchanged, he explained.
“We are taking the education of our members seriously regarding the new regulations on protecting personal data,” said Comito. “We are also actively encouraging them to become knowledgeable about the tools, systems and practices they can employ to protect data and be good stewards of personal information.”
According to Kent, hoteliers may not be able to continue using their marketing databases if they are not GDPR compliant. He explained they must be able to deliver data to anyone who asks for his or her personal data. “If they ask to remove themselves from your databases and your partners’ databases, you have to be able to go back to them and give them an answer saying ‘yes, we’re doing that’ and a time frame of when that’s going to happen.”
In the long term, Kent said companies will need to shift their thinking and have more personal conversations that serve the needs of travelers. “That’s also a really good thing because if you’re doing that, it’s not just about getting into compliance with GDPR, it’s forcing you to become a better marketer. It also means you’re building and nurturing relationships.”
The new regulation, which came into effect on May 25 will be a hot topic at the upcoming Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum happening at the Hyatt Regency Miami from June 22 to 24, and will be tackled during one of the Professional Development Sessions at the conference.
CHTA believes that new practices offer an invaluable benefit to guests and the businesses themselves as it will allow them to continue to provide outstanding customer service, while also ensuring the security, privacy and safety of guests.
To view CHTA’s recent webinar on GDPR compliance, visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/are-you-gdpr-ready.
For further information about the CHIEF conference, visit www.chtachief.com.
For more information about becoming GDPR compliant, visit https://springboardcaribbean.com/gdpr-for-hospitality-businesses.
CHTA President Welcomes Barbados’ First Female Prime Minister
The resounding mandate that Barbados’ first female prime minister earned from the electorate is a vote of confidence for women in leadership throughout the Caribbean, says Karolin Troubetzkoy, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, as she congratulated incoming Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley on her, and her party’s, recent 30-0 victory at the polls.
Troubetzkoy, who on International Women’s Day this year called for an acceleration of gender parity to help Caribbean women advance and unleash their potential, applauded the Barbadian public for its record of advancing women to the forefront of leadership.
“From the late Dame Nita Barrow to Dames Billie Miller and Sandra Mason, and now Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Barbados has a proud history of investing in and placing confidence in women in decision-making positions,” said Troubetzkoy, who added that the Caribbean should be proud of this latest development.
St. Lucia-based Troubetzkoy, who has been a vocal advocate for women in leadership, will be succeeded as CHTA President by Patricia Affonso-Dass of Barbados, at CHTA’s fourth Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum, at the Hyatt Regency Miami from June 22 to 24.
One of CHIEF’s general sessions, “Advancing a Culture of Inclusion,” will examine how gender balance benefits the bottom line.
“From a business perspective, policies and procedures, trainings and overall corporate culture need to be in place to allow for a more gender-balanced workplace,” said Frank Comito, CHTA’s Director General and CEO, who promised that delegates will hear from women on the front lines of hospitality who have risen through the industry and are now leading the progress towards a culture of inclusion.
Confirmed speakers for this session include Troubetzkoy; Joyce Destang, owner of Bay Gardens Resorts in St. Lucia; Marie McKenzie, vice president, Global Ports and Caribbean Government Relations, Carnival Corporation; and Lisa Rickards, CEO at Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in Jamaica.
Professional development and a vibrant speed-networking session will feature again this year at CHIEF, which will also host Taste of the Caribbean, where the region’s best chefs and their teams will compete. Taste of the Caribbean also offers insight and experience for food and beverage participants, who can learn the latest trends and techniques emerging from Caribbean kitchens.
Also returning to Miami this year will be CHTA’s Caribbean305 event, where flavors from more than a dozen Caribbean nations will be simmering at the culinary and cultural celebration taking place on Miami’s Jungle Island on June 23 at 8 p.m.
For further information, visit www.chtachief.com.
