June 27, 2013: – The third annual Caribbean Hospitality Investment Conference and Operations Summit (CHICOS), to be held November 7 and 8, 2013 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, will, in 2013 and going forward, be co-hosted by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and HVS.

The long-standing official Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) organized and managed by CHTA along with CTO will now partner with HVS and their CHICOS event. This will be CHTA’s 17th year hosting an investment conference in the Caribbean. CHTIC 2013 was originally planned for May. "With our strength in appealing to the leading investors, developers and brands in the Caribbean and with CHTA and CTO’s ability to gather the region’s governmental and private sector leadership, our partnership for CHICOS is truly the perfect marriage,” explained Mr. Parris E. Jordan, managing director of HVS in the Caribbean and executive director of the CHICOS conference, now in its third year.

“CHTA’s 50 years of organizing and managing conferences in the region will undoubtedly bring dynamic enthusiasm and seasoned professionals from amongst its 1,000+ member companies, as well as the region’s public sector tourism authorities to network with the movers and shakers in Caribbean hospitality,” Jordan added.

“CHICOS will now certainly become a bigger, stronger conference with our three organizations working together,” shared Richard Doumeng, president of the CHTA. “With CHTA, CTO and HVS combined, CHICOS will serve the industry as the official and leading hospitality and tourism investment conference for the Caribbean region,” Doumeng said.

Since its launch by HVS in 2011, CHICOS has brought together international investors and operators as well as the region’s leading decision makers. Also attending and speaking are governmental representatives, opinion leaders, and international industry leaders, discussing the region’s markets and possibilities.

Now in its third year, CHICOS will also focus on international investment in the Caribbean, highlighting diverse speakers and panels to ensure vibrant discussion and new debates. CHICOS provides an excellent platform for delegates to share views, insights ideas, and proposed strategies for overcoming challenges in the region.

CHICOS 2013 will feature panels of major lenders, including CIBC FirstCaribbean Investment Bank, Sterling Financial, Scotiabank and Inter-American Development Bank. CHICOS has also established a “Task Force” program comprised of a cross section of international and regional leaders in the hospitality, tourism, real estate, legal, investment, airline and government sectors. These Task Forces proactively address the region’s most pressing issues in order to advance hospitality and tourism development and investment in the Caribbean.

According to Simon Suarez, chief development representative, Caribbean and Central America for Hilton Worldwide, chairman of the Dominican Republic local planning committee for CHICOS 2013 and also past president and chairman of CHTA, “We are delighted that CHTA is cohosting CHICOS with HVS as it will elevate the overall credibility of the conference and clearly establish CHICOS as a must-attend event for everyone in the hospitality industry as well as the investment and development communities. We in the Dominican Republic are proud to be a part of this inaugural cohosted investment conference."

For more information about CHICOS, visit www.hvschicos.com.

About CHTA:
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) facilitates the full potential of the Caribbean hotel and tourism industry by serving members’ needs and building partnerships in a socially responsible and sustainable manner. CHTA is the voice of the Caribbean hospitality industry for the development of the region in the highly competitive and sophisticated environment of international tourism. Today, tourism is widely recognized as a pivotal industry in the economy of the region – and CHTA functions as the common denominator for this industry in a region of diverse nationalities, languages and styles, identifying mutual problems and marshaling the resources of the active and allied members to devise solutions. CHTA represents all facets of the hospitality industry with more than 600 member hotels and over 300 allied members. www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.

About CTO:
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with the headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York and London, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency and comprises membership of over 30 governments and a myriad of private sector entities. The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people. The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology, advocacy and sustainable tourism development. The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its member governments to consumers and the travel trade. www.onecaribbean.org.

About HVS
HVS is the world’s leading consulting and services organization focused on the hotel, mixed-use, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs 4500+ assignments each year for hotel and real estate owners, operators, and developers worldwide. HVS principals are regarded as the leading experts in their respective regions of the globe. Through a network of more than 30 offices and 450 professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. Visit www.hvs.com. Superior Results through Unrivalled Hospitality Intelligence. Everywhere.

Contact:
Leora Halpern Lanz
HVS
llanz@hvs.com
516-248-8828 x 278

Richard S. Kahn/Theresa Oakes
CHTA & CTO
R.Kahn@KTCpr.com
T.Oakes@KTCpr.com
516-594-4100