The Caribbean Hotel Association and the
Caribbean Tourism Organization have partnered with Tennessee-based
Smith Travel Research in the collection and distribution of hotel
performance data for the Caribbean.
In the past, much
of the data on hotel performance was unavailable due to concerns
among hoteliers regarding confidentiality, according to CHA and CTO
officials.
According to the
entities involved, STR's reputation for reliability, objectivity
and confidentiality means that
the CHA and the CTO will receive "blended" information that will
indicate trends and allow for more precise forecasting for the
region and for individual destinations.
The
organizations, however, will not have access to information
regarding the performance of any individual property.
Peter Odle, CHA
president, described Smith Travel Research as "the best and most
respected source of hotel performance information. We are delighted
to form this alliance so that we may provide our member hotels with
the data they need to improve their business outlook."
Vincent
Vanderpool-Wallace, CTO's secretary general, said that much of the
information "will be used to guide governments in their
decision-making once they know that the data is coming from an
independent and credible source such as STR."
He also pointed
out that both the CTO and the CHA leaped into the technology age in
tourism "without taking full advantage of the information age. We
see this initiative as the beginning of our correcting this
handicap."
The lodging
statistics compiled by STR will create access to comprehensive data
on an unprecedented level, according to Duane Wilson, vice
president of Smith Travel Research.
Hotel
associations across the Caribbean region will assist in identifying
sample properties that will be representative of each destination,
according to Alec Sanguinetti, CHA's director general and
CEO.
Participating
properties will receive a monthly copy of STR's Star Report during
their first year of participation. The report enables a property to
compare its performance in several areas against a group of five or
more properties.
To contact the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail
to Gay Nagle Myers at [email protected].