Richard Doumeng, managing director of the Bolongo Bay family of properties and board chairman of the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association, has been awarded this year’s Hotelier of the Year Award by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA). The award was announced this past weekend at the annual Caribbean Marketplace sponsored by CHTA, held this year in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sponsors of the award are Y Partnership and the New York Times.
This is the fourth Hotelier of the Year Award that has been bestowed on Virgin Islanders. Previous recipients include Lorette Resch, owner of Islands Beachcomber, in 1984; Dick and Joyce Doumeng, owners of Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in 1988; and Betty Sperber (deceased), a past president of the St. Croix Hotel & Tourism Association, 1993.
“We are proud and delighted that Richard has received this award 20 years after my wife and I did,” said Dick Doumeng, seasoned V.I. hotelier and father of Richard Doumeng. “This award has so much significance. This is the first time a father and son have received the award and the first from the same hotel. There’s an added joy and pride, and the Virgin Islands should be honored. Richard has adapted to the changing marketing climate and has been able to sustain the hotel and still advocate for the industry and the people of the USVI—that’s exemplary.”
Doumeng has spent the past 32 years welcoming guests to the islands and has been an outspoken supporter of the tourism industry. He has held various positions at CHTA, currently serving as first vice president, in addition to being chairman of the board of the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association. He is very passionate about encouraging local youth to find their niche for success in the hospitality industry. Additionally, he has been a past board member of the United Way, a volunteer coach for Special Olympics, executive committee member of Project Safe Neighborhoods and a charter member of Positive Coaching Alliance.
“For more than 20 years, Richard has been a leader and champion of the region’s tourism and hospitality industry,” said Beverly Nicolson Doty, commissioner of Tourism. “For our islands, Richard is recognized as a community leader who consistently fosters communication and pioneers best practices for our destination’s hospitality community. I applaud the CHTA on bestowing this prestigious award on Richard Doumeng.”