Caribbean hoteliers representing properties with 75 rooms or less gathered on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands last week to strengthen their marketing and operations programs at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Small Hotels Retreat. With 225 delegates from 17 countries, 2009 attendance exceeded that of last year's event in St. Kitts by 13 percent.
In comparison, small hotels seem to be faring slightly better in this economy than their larger counterparts, according to the CHTA. While occupancy dropped slightly more for hotels of 75 rooms or less (9.4 percent compared to 6.8 percent for hotels with more than 75 rooms), declines in the average daily rates of small properties were virtually half that of large hotels (8.5 percent versus 16.2 percent, respectively).
Visit www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com