This fall, the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association (PRHTA) and the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau (PRCB) will present two of its annual events concurrently. The Small Hotels Retreat will take place Sept. 9 - 11, 2010 while the Taste of the Caribbean culinary event and regionalcompetition is set for Sept. 9 - 12, 2010 - both will be held at the Rio Mar Beach Resort, A Wyndham Grand Resort in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

Small Hotels Retreat

The Small Hotels Retreat, “Serving the Needs of Small & Independent Hoteliers,” is primarily for small hotels consisting of 75 rooms or less however, it is open to all CHTA members. The conference program is designed by small hoteliers specifically for small and independent Caribbean hoteliers. During last year’s conference in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a total of 196 delegates participated, of which 88 were hoteliers and seven were hotel association executives. A total of 17 countries were represented at the Small Hotels Retreat in 2009.

CHTA is offering an early bird registration fee of US$150 for hotelier delegates and US$275 for non-hoteliers who pay by Aug. 2, 2010. Registration increases to US$200 for hoteliers and US$325 non-hoteliers after Aug. 2nd. Day passes are available to hoteliers for US$125 per day for Sept. 10 and Sept 11.

Registration for the Small Hotels Retreat includes access to most of the Taste of the Caribbean events with the exception of the Individual Awards Breakfast and closing gala dinner.

Sponsors for Small Hotels Retreat include Forum Telecom, Green Globe, Interval International, MasterCard, RCI and STR.

Event sponsorship packages are available for $4,850, these include multiple value-added benefits. For more details, contact Gabi Doria at [email protected]

For more information about the Small Hotels Retreat, visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/events/event-SmallHotels-about.php.

Taste of the Caribbean

Taste of the Caribbean provides education through seminars, workshops, tastings and demonstrations, created to enhance performance, style and profitability in food and beverage operations. Caribbean culinary teams and individuals compete for the honor of Caribbean Team of the Year, Caribbean Chef of the Year, Caribbean Pastry Chef of the Year and Caribbean Bartender of the Year.

This year’s Taste of the Competition will feature nine Caribbean teams comprised of chefs, pastry chefs, bartenders and junior chefs for a total of more than 80 competitors vying for the top Caribbean culinary honors.

The registration fee for hoteliers and food and beverage delegates is US$150 prior to Aug. 2, 2010. Registration fees for all other member categories is US$275 before Aug. 2nd. After Aug. 2, fees increase to US$200 for hoteliers and food and beverage delegates and US$325 for all other member categories.

Registration for Taste of the Caribbean includes access to seminars and discussions taking place as part of the Small Hotels Retreat program.

Sponsors of Taste of the Caribbean include Bahama Breeze and Albert Uster Imports. For more details about sponsorship opportunities, contact Gabi Doria at [email protected] or additional information visit http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/events-taste/event-taste-about.php.

Trade Show

This year, CHTA will offer a combined tradeshow for delegates attending the Small Hotels Retreat and Taste of the Caribbean. Exhibitors who specialize in serving the smaller hospitality arena have the opportunity to promote their products and services todecision-making hoteliers. For delegates attending Taste of the Caribbean, the tradeshow provides a one-stop forum for gathering practical information, sampling, purchasing, strengthening established supplier relationships and meeting new vendors who are on-hand to help registrants build their food and beverage business as well as yield benefits for their bottom line.

Rates for a tabletop display are US$750, plus US$150 per exhibitor delegate registration.

Hotel Rates

A special group rate of US$139.00 per night (single or double occupancy) plus a 11% government tax and 14% resort fee has been arranged at the Rio Mar Beach Resort, A Wyndham Grand Resort for participants of both events. Reservations can be made online via CHTA’s website http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com by visiting the event page for each conference.