Last week, Coral Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Hotels
Corporation announced a joint decision to dissolve their agreement to develop
the Coral by Hilton brand. "This de-branding stems from a mutual and
amicable decision," says Simon Suarez, executive vice president of Coral
Hotels & Resorts. The decision was effective Oct. 31; all reservations are
being honored by the four all-inclusive Coral Hotels & Resorts properties
in the
Coral Hotels & Resorts has been in operation since 1996.
"We're a wholly Dominican-owned company," says Michele Olivier, vice
president of sales, Coral Hotels & Resorts. "During the partnership
with Hilton, we became a little more Americanized, which enhanced our product.
The Hilton relationship helped put us on the map in the
During the three years of the partnership, Coral saw a 38
percent rise in guests from the
"We want to grow," says Olivier. "We had hoped the partnership would lead to more resorts, and we're presently talking to other potential partners."
According to Olivier, Coral Hotels & Resorts' plans for
expansion include the Caribbean,