Hospitality Design - January/February 2013 - 72

places to

watch
1+2. A rendering of one
of the 106 guestrooms
and the lobby bar at
the forthcoming Best
Western Premier resort
in Pétion-Ville.

Haiti > Scarcity is the mother of invention in Haiti, where decades of

political and economic neglect—coupled with the devastation of 2010’s 7.0
earthquake—have left the half-island nation in desperate need of hotel
development. Indeed, four hotel projects with 359 total rooms are now
under construction in Haiti, with an additional four properties and 674
rooms in the planning stages, according to Lodging Econometrics. And
while those figures aren’t grand, they’re clearly filling a major need in a
nation with barely 300 premium hotel rooms overall.
“As Hurricane Katrina proved, where there is destruction there is great
reconstruction,” says Lodging Econometrics senior vice president Bruce
Ford. And already, that reconstruction is bearing fruit.
The most important newcomer will be the Marriott, a 173-room resort
developed by regional cellular giant Digicel and announced by former
president Bill Clinton himself last year. Set directly in the Haitian capital,
Port-au-Prince, the Marriott should open in 2014, representing a major
milestone in public/private/philanthropic cooperation.
Beyond the Marriott, most of the recent action is taking place in PétionVille, a traditionally upscale district just outside Port-au-Prince. Early this
year, leading Spanish-based hotel group Occidental Hotels and Resorts
debuted the Royal Oasis by Occidental—a three-acre resort whose 128
rooms make it Haiti’s largest hotel. Also in Pétion-Ville will be the Best
Western Premier, another full-service resort with 106 rooms opening
in March, along with the NH El Rancho, a 72-room renovation of one of
Haiti’s historic hotel gems now to be managed by Spain’s NH Group.
With its posh pedigree, large foreign and diplomatic community, and
easy access to its international airport, Pétion-Ville is emerging as Haiti’s
main hotel development destination. And new projects like the Occidental
and Best Western—which join existing hotels such as the Karibe and
Kinam—are aggressively touting their earthquake and hurricane-proof

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bona fides. Overall, Haiti’s tourism ministry expects to see a 40 percent
jump in hotel rooms by the end of 2013.
For operators themselves, such bullishness may certainly be inspiring,
but Haiti remains an extremely challenging market for building and
managing new properties. On the staffing side, training schemes are still in
their infancy “and we have to start from the ground up to teach staff about
the culture of service,” says Royal Oasis’ Jean-Marc Rousseau. “On the flip
side, however, Haitians are very receptive and willing to learn; they have
the right attitude and are willing to give their best.”
On a more practical level, however, security and materials sourcing
remain difficulties in a nation where hundreds of thousands still remain
homeless nearly three years after the earthquake. “Customs clearance and
transporting materials to the site remain big issues,” observes Kellie Sirna,
principal of Dallas-based Studio 11 Design, designers for the Best Western.
“But we are sourcing as many materials and artworks as possible from
Haiti itself,” she adds. “It’s exciting to give back to the community; you
truly feel as if you’re part of something big.”

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