CHTA Bill Bissell Lifetime Achievement Award Presented to Sir Royston O. Hopkins

The life and career achievements of Sir Royston O. Hopkin, KCMG, owner and chairman of Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada, were celebrated by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) with the presentation of the Bill Bissell Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) April 14 - 16 at the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda.

Sir Royston joins an esteemed list of past honorees such as philanthropists and industry veterans including, Peter Dolara, American Airlines; Sol Kerzner, Kerzner Resorts International; Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Sandals Resorts; Chris Blackwell, Island Outpost; and the late Bill Bissell, OBM International, for whom the award was renamed after he was recognized posthumously at last year’s CHTIC.

Sir Royston O. Hopkin, KCMG, is the owner and chairman of the award-winning Spice Island Beach Resort. He has had an extensive and distinguished career in the hospitality and tourism industry spanning 44 years of contributions to his home country, Grenada, and the entire Caribbean region.

During his tenure with CHTA, Sir Royston founded the Small Hotels Committee and launched the Small Hotels Conference, which today are still one of the most important sub-committees and events of the association. Sir Royston has also served on the board of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) with government ministers from across the region.

The CHTA Lifetime Achievement Award was named for Bill Bissell, the driving force behind development of OBM International, and a mentor to many in the Caribbean hospitality industry. In addition to his leadership role in the architecture, design and development community, Bissell contributed much of his time to industry organizations such as CHTA, CAST, Urban Land Institute, and many others.