(Nassau, Bahamas) November 20, 2012 – The second annual HVS Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference & Operations Summit (CHICOS) took place last week at the Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, in the Bahamas and concluded with paramount approval from regional and international industry leaders. On November 8th and 9th conference host HVS welcomed more than 200 delegates from the Caribbean, the US, Central and South America, Asia, and Europe. CHICOS succeeded again in rewarding an elite group of developers, investors, lenders, and operators the opportunity to explore new ventures and share success stories.

“HVS is very pleased to see the continued support of the key players in the Caribbean market who participated in last year’s inaugural event,” remarked Mr. Parris Jordan, Managing Director of HVS’s office in the Bahamas. “We saw many important speakers and sponsor partners reunite this November in the Bahamas, and still we welcomed several new and insightful partners who kept the conference relevant and progressive.”

HVS CHICOS 2012 included noteworthy speakers and presenters from across the tourism industry, including:

• Adam Rosenberg, Managing Director, Global Head of Gaming, The Goldman Sachs Group
• David Brillembourg, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Brilla Group
• The Honorable Haydn Hughes, Parliamentary Secretary of Tourism, Government of Anguilla
• The Honorable Khaalis Rolle, Minister of State for Investments, Government of the Bahamas
• John Keith, Managing Partner, Caribe Hospitality
• Paul Burke, Chief Operating Officer, Kerzner International
• Dr. Steve Carvell, Associate Dean Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration
• Stephen Rushmore, Jr., President & Chief Operating Officer, HVS Global Hospitality Services
• Uri Clinton, General Counsel, Baha Mar Resorts, Ltd.
• Kenneth Blatt, Principal, Caribbean Property Group

HVS CHICOS continued to support change and progressive dialogue about overcoming challenges in the Caribbean through their four task forces, who met throughout the year at advisory meetings to discuss human resources, legal frameworks, airlift, and destination marketing. “I would like to thank our four Task Force chairpersons: Mr. Nikheel Advani of Grace Bay Resorts; Mr. Matt Norton of K&L Gates; Mr. Chad Meyerson of JetBlue; and Mr. Tyler Niess of Crescent Resources for their presentations on behalf of our work over the past 12 months and for their continued support of efforts to cooperate and better the region for the industry,” said Mr. Jordan.

During the conference, Michael Shindler, Executive VP of Hotels & Casinos at Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, announced that Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana will be the location of next year’s CHICOS conference, November 7-8,2013.

“By choosing to host CHICOS 2013 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, HVS is reacting to the enormously positive growth the country has seen in the past few years, in hotel supply, investment, and source market diversification. We want to encourage such growth region-wide and look forward to partnering with Hard Rock and the Dominican government over the next year.”

About HVS
HVS is the world’s leading consulting and services organisation focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs more than 2,000 assignments a year for virtually every major industry participant. Through a worldwide network of 30 offices staffed by 300 industry professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. For further information please visit www.hvs.com.