hospitalitystyle.com

(September 2009) posted on Tue Sep 15, 2009 EDT

Sustainability and new market opportunities are opening up revenue streams after this long dry spell.

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By Editor, Mary Scoviak

“Slow.” It was the one-word conversation starter for the vast majority of the “how's business?” discussions at HD Boutique in Miami this week. But, once designers and vendors got talking, the mood shifted. Okay, so maybe their order books or RPF pipelines weren't overflowing. But there was this new project in Doha, this resort developer from the Caribbean, this new product unlike anything else…. Although it's not business as usual, there's business to be done for anyone nimble enough to see what the market's missing or what it doesn't know it needs yet.

Based on their comments, here's a barometer of where the new channels of opportunity might lie:

* The Caribbean and Latin America. Claire Evans, president and CEO of Ama Zulu Inc., a supplier of thatch products based in Clermont, Fla., saw a surprising uptick in interest from developers with projects under way in the Caribbean. “What's really interesting is that most of the developments are new build,” she adds. It's not just developers who are looking south. Chains such as Choice Hotels International's Ascend Collection see some open playing field among island hoteliers who may be looking for international branding help to cushion them again future downturns and weather/health alert issues.

Mario Morales, president, Mario & Marielena, a textile and soft furnishings  based in Cookeville, Tenn, was also fielding more queries from owners in the Caribbean and in Central America. Owners from Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Nicaragua are on the follow-up list, as is a firm with a project in Vietnam and others in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. "We're seeing some pent-up demand from owners affiliated with brands who are renovating and want more of a boutique look as well as owners of boutique-sized properties," he said.