BPIAJ boss calls for business hotel in MoBay

Western Bureau:

Gloria Henry, president of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) has called for the establishment of a hotel to cater strictly to business persons who might not be interested in the fun, frolic and entertainment packages being offered by traditional hotels in Montego Bay, St James.

While Montego Bay, the nation's tourism capital, is known for having several hotels offering thousands of rooms to visitors, Henry, a former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, said the area needed facilities that cater to people visiting the city primarily for business engagements. She made the suggestion while speaking on Thursday at the opening of a two-day symposium and exposition being staged by the BPIAJ at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

"We need our local entrepreneurs to deliver First-World quality product and services," advocated Henry. "We need quality products, supporting infrastructure, housing, schools, entertainment, training institutions and, very importantly, this is a challenge for the entrepreneurs sitting on their capital out there we need a business hotel in the robust and growing business district of Montego Freeport."

HOTEL LAND

Directing her comments to the Jamaica Promotions Corporation's representatives at the expo, Henry said there were available lands in the Montego Freeport area that could accommodate such a hotel.

In an interview with The Gleaner following her presentation, Henry indicated that her interest in pushing for such a facility in Montego Bay was primarily to help drive business in the BPO sector.

"Our customers bring down trainers, sales personnel and other business people, from time to time, who come for various reasons and they will stay for sometimes weeks at a time," said Henry.

She added: "Whilst we love the all-inclusives and they are great for vacationing and fun, sometimes that fun environment does not allow for the conducive work setting that they (business persons) would require, the quietness that they would need. If you go to Costa Rica, you can find a Marriott (hotel) in the major outsourcing sector, in the global services sector."

The symposium and expo are dubbed Outsource2Jamaica 2018 and are being staged under the theme 'Innovation through Digital Transformation'. The event is geared towards promoting the BPO industry and its job-creating potential.