Amaury Piedra, Vice President of Operations, Caribe Royale Orlando

Amaury Piedra, Vice President of Operations of Caribe Royale Orlando, talked to Invest: about how the hotel and the tourism sector in Florida bounced back after the pandemic. He also discussed how the hotel balances both family leisure travel and group tourism with a variety of activities and a diverse offering of food and beverage. 

What is the overall impact of the Caribe Royale Orlando on the Greater Orlando area?

Over the last four years, Caribe Royale Orlando has dramatically reinvented itself. By repositioning, reimagining, and growing our business, we have added over 500 jobs. Whereas we used to have about 500 associates, we now have 1,000, which is important for the area. When we reopened after COVID, there were not enough employees to run the hotel, so we brought in H-2B visa workers from abroad. We no longer need to do that. Around 99% of our associates live in the area, which is encouraging as that money stays in the local economy. 

How would you characterize the state of the hospitality industry in Greater Orlando?

It is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Tourism rebounded quickly in Florida due to the way that the state handled the pandemic by remaining open. It rebounded faster than other destinations did. 2022 and 2023 were banner years coming out of COVID. We then hit a bit of a lull as other destinations opened, but the market continues to be healthy. 

The convention market and the group market are extremely high drivers of revenue in Greater Orlando. They have bounced back and are as strong or even stronger than pre-pandemic levels.

What strategies or initiatives does Caribe Royale Orlando have in place to continue attracting convention business?

We are expanding our meeting space to be able to do larger groups or multiple groups. We added 50,000 square feet during the pandemic and then added another 20,000 square feet of outdoor event space. That took us to a total of 240,000 square feet. We are now adding another 17,000 square feet.

Additionally, we opened our Stadium Club, which is a new restaurant and bar venue that is cool and fun. Groups love it. The Stadium Club is an interactive, high-end sports bar and entertainment venue. We needed a fun place for our groups and attendees to hang out and we delivered on that with a unique and engaging venue that is well liked. In that sense, we have focused on continuous innovation and listening to the voice of the customer to offer what they want. 

How would you characterize the level of saturation in the Greater Orlando hotel market?

There is always room for the right type of hotel. While I do not want three more megahotels to compete with in Orlando, saturation depends on the type of product.

We are going to see some more high-end hotels coming in. Just like we have a Four Seasons, a Ritz-Carlton, a JW Marriott, and a Conrad, you will see some upscale lifestyle brands come into play. There is opportunity for that as the market has matured over the past seven to 10 years. Having said that, the market has changed over the years. It’s no longer just a lot of families and leisure tourism. Group travel has also grown.

What is the strategy of the Caribe Royale to accommodate various demographics within its space?

When we programmed the hotel, we looked at where we wanted to be and identified what we needed for both the group and the family leisure markets. We have some activities that families participate in that group attendees do not. For instance, we have a lake that we stock with fish and offer fishing poles so families can go fishing. We also have bicycles, an arcade, a water slide, pools, and all sorts of activities for the younger set. 

Moreover, we have a variety of food and beverage offerings. Whereas our four-diamond, award-winning restaurant, Venetian Chop House, may not be the right thing for a family of five, they can go to Stadium Club or to Calypso. We’ve programmed everything so that there is always something for everybody. Depending on the day of the week, sometimes it is like two hotels in one as both segments coexist while doing their own thing in their own area. 

Caribe Royale was added to the WorldHotels Elite portfolio. What are your expectations for this partnership?

We are an independent hotel. We have done a great job of education and awareness in the local, national, and international marketplace. Nevertheless, you can always use more eyeballs on the hotel and a greater level of distribution. WorldHotels has a nice portfolio of four- or five-diamond hotels across the world, so our four-diamond hotel fits well in there.

This partnership also gets us additional exposure. WorldHotels Elite has access to 54 million loyalty reward members who will now have a new choice for a relaxing vacation in Orlando at Caribe Royale Orlando. It is a good affiliation that allows us to maintain our individuality where the common denominator among WorldHotels is their quality and service. We aim to piggyback on that portfolio and gain access to those loyalty reward members and frequent guests.

What are some of the advantages that Greater Orlando offers to the hospitality market?

The hotel sector in Greater Orlando ramped up quickly after COVID because the theme parks and the state of Florida were open. That leveled off in 2023 as people explored other destinations that were not open during COVID-19, such as Europe and South America. Greater Orlando is among the five or six major markets that continue to grow while others are in the negative growth range.

From a business perspective, Orlando is well positioned. The community works together on tourism to make sure that there is a solid message from Visit Orlando, from the chambers of commerce, and from the hotels.

What marketing strategies has the Caribe Royale implemented in the past year to attract more business?

Social media is more important than ever, and we have dedicated individuals working in that area. They not only focus on developing engaging content that tells our experiential story, but also respond to comments, DMs, and inquiries that come in. The digital space continues to be important and to grow, while the print space still exists and has its place in terms of getting the word out.

Our newer marketing strategies have focused on the digital and social media side. The more we can engage and grow our followers on the social side and keep the momentum and the word going out, the more engagement we can achieve, particularly with a younger demographic. Those strategies help us get the world out on our food and beverage offering and the events happening at the hotel. A greater emphasis on those efforts is one of our greater initiatives.