Rising Star Award Caribbean presented to Brittany Brathwaite at CHRIS

Miami, Florida - The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) in partnership with Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) presented Brittany Brathwaite, Chief People and Development Strategist, Ocean Hotels Group Barbados & Chickmont Foods Ltd, with the prestigious Rising Star Award Caribbean.

Brittany Brathwaite is a Regional Labour Policy Advisor; Strategic Human Resources Practitioner and serves as Chief People and Development Strategist with the Ocean Hotels Group in Barbados. She joined the Ocean Hotels group in 2019 and has remained committed to her foundational principles of adding value, driving innovation and efficiency while developing members of her Human Resources team. Her path into tourism, strategy, and people management, includes a labour advisory role with the country’s Employers’ Confederation and subsequently, a regional role with the Caribbean Employer’s Confederation, which provided the opportunity for her to work alongside the International Labour Organization’s Caribbean Office. She is a Former President of the Human Resources Management Association of Barbados and a member of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association People Development Committee.

Of her award, Brittany remarked, I’m truly humbled to be the recipient of the 2024 Rising Star Award - Caribbean. At my core, I’m driven by the ethos of adding value, through my efforts, to every space I occupy. To have those efforts recognized by the Caribbean’s top tourism leaders is a distinct honor. My transition into the tourism industry and specifically, my journey with Ocean Hotels Barbados has been professionally enriching. Advancing a people strategy while feeding my passion of driving leadership, based on self-awareness, ingenuity and integrity sits at the core of that experience. My commitment to effecting positive change in the industry, coupled with community involvement and mentorship, remains unwavering. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity and autonomy to navigate a multifaceted portfolio and I look forward to contributing to the continued creation of opportunities for future tourism leaders via these avenues.

I can think of no person more deserving of this award than Brittany! commented Patricia Affonso-Dass, CEO Group General Manager of Ocean Hotels. Since joining our company Ocean Hotels in May 2019, Brittany has had a transformative effect on the Company and our HR processes, driving the strategic and operational elements of the Human Resources product and working alongside ownership, senior management, and middle managers to strengthen all aspects of human resources across the group, digitize systems and process and continue to develop knowledgeable and skilled team members. Brittany's start with the company just prior to Covid was fortuitous, and frankly, I am not sure that we would be the company that we are today without her invaluable contribution over that extremely difficult period. I am thrilled for this recognition of her and so very proud of all that she continues to accomplish.

ISHC CEO Andrea Belfanti commented, I was honored to meet Brittany and could not have been more pleased to have her as the recipient of the 2024 Rising Star Award Caribbean. Her dedication to her craft and her passion for people is inspiring. I’m confident we will continue to see great things from her and we are thankful for our partnership with CHRIS to recognize young talent, like Brittany, in the Caribbean.

The Rising Star Award Caribbean is a key feature of CHRIS, as it shines a spotlight on our industry’s future, said Jonathon S. Zink, COO of The BHN Group. Brittany’s dedication to developing the future of hospitality in the Caribbean is admirable and makes Brittany a dynamic ambassador for the Caribbean. Congratulations to Brittany on this prestigious achievement and very best wishes on her journey of making a difference.

This is the fourteenth year ISHC and CHRIS have collaborated to recognize young, talented leadership in the Caribbean region. Brittany Brathwaite was presented the award during plenary session of CHRIS held at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel in Coral Gables, FL.

Nominations for the award were required to meet the following criteria:

• Is 35 years of age or younger, born on or after April 23, 1989
• Is currently, and has been, working in a hospitality-related field
• Is recognized by leaders in the hospitality field as a rising star
• Is currently living and working in the Caribbean with a minimum of two years’ experience in the market

Respected executives from across the Caribbean reviewed a shortlist of nomination forms of outstanding candidates before voting on the winner.

About Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS)

Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) is the Caribbean’s most important hotel and tourism investment conference. The conference immediately precedes a second important event, the Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference. The back-to-back nature of the two events provides a venue for the hotel investment community that is interested not only in the Caribbean, but also in Latin America, to conduct their business while in Miami. CHRIS and HOLA are produced by Northstar Travel Group in association with The BHN Group.

About Northstar Travel Group (www.northstartravelgroup.com)

Northstar Travel Group is the leading B-to-B information and marketing solutions company serving all segments of the travel industry including leisure/retail, corporate/business travel, corporate and sports meetings, incentives, hospitality, and travel technology. Northstar is the owner of leading brands serving these travel segments. The company produces more than 100 face-to-face events in 13 countries in retail travel, hospitality, corporate travel, travel technology, sports travel, and the meetings & incentive industry. In addition, Northstar owns Phocuswright, the leading research, and event producer serving the travel technology industry. Northstar Travel Group owns The BHN Group, the leading producer of hotel investment conferences. Northstar is also the majority shareholder in Inntopia, the leading SaaS e-commerce software business serving the mountain destination, golf, activities, and hospitality markets. Based in Rutherford, NJ, the company has offices in the U.S., UK, Singapore, and China. Northstar Travel Group is owned by funds managed by EagleTree Capital.

About The BHN Group

The BHN Group is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. The BHN Group has completed more than 170 global events attracting more than 120,000 delegates over 30 years. The current slate of events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles; ALIS Law in Los Angeles; ALIS DESIGN+ in Los Angeles, the ALIS Summer Update series held in various U.S. cities; Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami; Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference in Miami; Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Singapore; HICAP UPDATE in Hong Kong, and HICAP Australia New Zealand (HICAP ANZ) in Sydney. The BHN Group also publishes Hotel Investment Today, a digital media outlet focused on the ROI of hotel investment.

About ISHC

The International Society of Hospitality Consultants is truly The Leading Source for Global Hospitality Expertise, represented by over two hundred of the industry's most respected professionals from across six continents. Collectively, ISHC members provide expert services in over fifty functional areas and have specialized skills in virtually every segment of the hospitality industry. ISHC is dedicated to promoting the highest quality of professional consulting standards and practices for the hospitality industry. Candidates undergo a rigorous screening process, ensuring that all ISHC members have a reputation of integrity and are qualified by their experience, training, and knowledge to develop and express sound judgment on industry issues. Additional information about the organization, along with a directory of ISHC members, is available on the ISHC website at ishc.com.

Jennifer Castellarin
Director of Membership & Marketing
+1 413 563 6449
ISHC