HotelBusiness.com: HB ON THE SCENE: NABHOOD Seeks Caribbean Opportunities

HB ON THE SCENE: NABHOOD Seeks Caribbean Opportunities

Posted 7/27/2012 - 8:14:03 AM

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Deputy Minister of St. Maarten William Marlin, right, and NABHOOD president & CEO Andy Ingraham

MIAMI–The U.S.-based National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers, holding its 16th annual conference here, has extended its focus to the Caribbean.

With financing for hotels in the U.S. still difficult to obtain, speakers at the conference have actively encouraged hotel owners and developers to seek opportunities in the Caribbean, noted NABHOOD president & CEO Andy Ingraham. To signal their interest, ministers from both St. Maarten and The Bahamas spoke during the conference, outlining the contribution they felt African-American owners and developers could make to their respective islands.

William Marlin, deputy minister of St. Maarten, for example, cited specific plots of land that were desirable and available for development.

When many developers think of opportunities in the Caribbean, they immediately think of full-service beach resorts, but that is only one part of the development story, pointed out another conference speaker, Rajiv Trivedi, EVP for franchising and chief development officer at La Quinta Inns & Suites.

There are also development opportunities on these islands near airports and in downtown business districts, opportunities more appropriate for select-service hotels, Trivedi added.