KINGSTON, Jamaica – Caroline Racine, Director of Caribbean Franchise Development of Choice Hotels International, is upbeat about opportunities to help small hotels improve their business operations in Jamaica.
Smaller hotels are often locally-owned so their survival and success is crucial for an economically and socially sustainable tourism industry in the Caribbean.
In the photograph below, Caroline Racine (second from left) chats about Choice’s small hotels model with Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett at last weekend’s Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) event in Kingston. Looking on are Carrole Guntley, Director General in Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism and Wayne Cummings, President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association.
Choice Hotels International, the strategic hotel partner of the Caribbean Hotel Association, provides marketing and booking tools that assist small hotels become more viable. These include state-of-the-art revenue management systems, a powerful reservations system, a US$175 million marketing campaign, and dedicated Brand Performance Consultants.
Choice Hotels International franchises more than 5,300 hotels, representing over 430,000 rooms, in the United States and 40 other countries and territories. Their brands include Cambria Suites, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, MainStay Suites and Suburban Extended Stay Hotels.
