The Small Hotels Retreat, “Serving the Needs of Small & Independent Hoteliers,” will take place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 2009 at the Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and is hosted by The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), in conjunction with the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association.

The event’s primary audience is small hotels consisting of 75 rooms or less however, the conference is open to all CHTA members. The conference has been designed by small hoteliers for small and independent hoteliers. Attendees of the event will take away information from one another such as ideas, personal advice and most importantly hands-on experience from established experts within the industry.

The retreat will have the same format as last year with presentations during the morning and “roundtable” discussions in the afternoon that focus on developing marketing skills, technology and human resources. Both will cover a variety of aspects in these critical areas.

Day one of the retreat will be “Operations Day” where comprehensive presentations will be dedicated specifically to small and independent hotel management. On day two, “Marketing Day,” presenters will provide an innovative and applied approach to hotel marketing.

The conference includes a trade show where exhibitors who specialize in serving the smaller hospitality area have the opportunity to promote their products and services to hoteliers. Rates for a tabletop display are $750 plus $150 per exhibitor delegate registration. Breakfast and lunch will be provided both days in the exhibit area for networking opportunities with exhibitors.

Last year 18 countries were represented at the retreat with approximately 84 hotel delegates.

“The point of the Small Hotels Retreat is to gather hoteliers and offer one another advice and proactive steps to increase consumer awareness of the privately-owned boutique hotels and resorts throughout the Caribbean. We also use this opportunity to discuss the challenges facing all hotels and seek strategies to promote a successful year,” noted Enrique De Marchena Kaluche, president of CHTA.