Bolongo Bay Beach Resort’s Managing Director Richard Doumeng, who also serves as chairman of the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association and first vice-president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), was named 2009 Hotelier of the Year by the CHTA.
According to Doumeng, with a touch of humility, wearing so many hats is not as difficult as it sounds. “With Lisa Hamilton as president of the Hotel & Tourism Association and Beverly Nicholson Doty as the commissioner of tourism, it has never been easier to do my job,” he said.
Doumeng received the award during the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s Caribbean Marketplace 2010, held this year in Puerto Rico. “I was surprised for only one reason,” said Doumeng. “We had discontinued the award in 2007 and I had no idea they were bringing the award back. I was taken aback.”
The Doumengs seem to be a family of firsts. Dick and Joyce Doumeng, owners of Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, were given the award in 1988, making it the first time the award was given to a couple. Now with Richard being awarded, it is the first time the award has been given to both father and son. It is also the first time it has been given to the same hotel twice.
“We are proud and delighted that Richard has received this award 20 years after my wife and I did,” said Dick Doumeng in a written statement. “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.”
Doty agreed wholeheartedly with CHTA’s decision to honor Doumeng. “For more than 20 years, Richard has been a leader and champion of the region’s tourism and hospitality industry,” said Doty in a written statement. “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.”
Contenders for the award are first nominated by their national association. Previous winners of the award then vote on the nominees in a secret ballot.
The award, called the Golden Conch Award, looks like hockey’s Stanley Cup, according to Doumeng. He will have the award in his possession for one year, at which time the golden conch will be presented to next year’s winner and Doumeng will receive a replica.
This year marks the fourth time the award has been given to a Virgin Islander. In addition to the Doumengs in 1988, previous recipients also include Lorette Resch, owner of Islands Beachcomber, in 1984, and the late Betty Sperber, a past president of the St.Croix Hotel & Tourism Association, in 1993.