CHRIS and HOLA Conferences Set Record Crowds

COSTA MESA, California, USA, 2013-05-16 — /travelprnews.com/ — The numbers are in, and both the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) and Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) welcomed record crowds in Miami this past week.  The conferences were held back-to-back at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami hotel in Miami, Florida, USA, on May 6-9.  This strong showing is a good indication for hotel investment in the Caribbean and Latin America.  Burba Hotel Network (BHN) hosts CHRIS and HOLA.

“While the attendance was great at both events, the best news was the mood and outlook of the delegates for the coming year. The HOLA delegates were predictably optimistic, but even at CHRIS the mood was the most upbeat since the great recession began.  There were numerous credible conversations being held about new deals in the region,” said Jim Burba, BHN. “More than 600 delegates attended the events, with a sizeable number attending both, reinforcing the logic of putting the events in the same week in Miami, the financial gateway to the Latin America and Caribbean region,” Burba added.

One of the highlights of the conferences was the Meet the Opportunity sessions, where some of the most exciting new hotel and tourism projects were showcased.  Participating countries included the Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Jamaica, Montserrat, Mexico, Peru, Sint Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, and the US Virgin Islands.

In addition, last year’s CHRIS Battle of the Rum champion, Haiti’s Rhum Barbancourt, returned to defend its title as the best rum in the Caribbean, but was narrowly defeated by Brinley Gold Shipwreck Rum from St. Kitts & Nevis.  The judges for the Battle of the Rum contest included McHale S. Andrew representing St. Lucia, Winston Brathwaite representing US Virgin Islands, Ambassador Rosalyn Hazelle representing St. Kitts & Nevis, Federico Stubbe, Jr. representing Puerto Rico, Consul General Francois Guillaume II representing Haiti, and Ronald E. Theodore representing Grenada.

A number of awards were presented at the CHRIS Conference.  The Ritz Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach was named Development of the Year 2012, and in the category of Single Asset Transaction of the Year 2012, there was a tie.  The winners were the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Hamilton, Bermuda, and the Key West Luxury Village (former Veranda Resort & Residences) in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands.

The back-to-back nature of CHRIS and HOLA is an efficient way for the hotel investment community that is interested not only in the Caribbean, but also in the Latin America region, to conduct their business while in Miami.  For more information about CHRIS or HOLA conferences visit, www.CHRISconference.com or www.HOLAconference.com.

###

About the Host
BHN is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community.  With more than two decades of experience, more than 100 events completed to-date, and nearly 80,000 international delegates, BHN conferences have become “must attend” events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business and to learn about the latest trends.

BHN events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles; the ALIS Summer Update; the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami; the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; HICAP UPDATE in Singapore; the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Gurgaon Delhi N.C.R.; the Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference in Miami; and the Hotel Investment Conference Europe (Hot.E) in London.

The BHN website at www.Burba.com is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.

###

Subscribe to Notifications