Photo caption (l-r): CHTA Director General and CEO Alec Sanguinetti, Sir Royston Hopkin, Edna Bissell (Bill Bissell's widow) and CHTA President Enrique de Marchena Kaluche at the presentation of the Bill Bissell Lifetime Achievement Award at CHTIC in Bermuda
Sir Royston O. Hopkin, KCMG, owner and chairman of Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada, received the Bill Bissell Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC) which took place from April 14 - 16 at the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda.
Sir Royston 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.
His award placed him on an esteemed list of past honourees 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.
An honorary director of the Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Association (CHTA) and chairman of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), Sir Royston serves as a member of the Airlift Committee in Grenada and is an honorary director of the Grenada Hotel Association.
He became the first and only Caribbean hotelier to be knighted by the Queen Elizabeth 11 when he was knighted in 2004.
Sir Royston has served on the board of CHTA since 1970, where he held numerous positions including director, vice president, president and chairman. During his tenure with CHTA, he 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.
Sir Royston is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the coveted CHTA “Hotelier of the Year” honour (in 1991), Grenada’s Silver Anniversary Independence Awards for 25 years of dedicated service, and several other awards from the Grenada Hotel Association and CHTA. CTO has also honored Sir Royston for 25 years of loyalty and service to the region.
Sir Royston also serves as a member of the Airlift Committee in Grenada and is an honorary director of the Grenada Hotel Association. A dedicated philanthropist, Sir Royston founded the Royston Hopkin Scholarship Fund in 1992. Each year since its inception, the foundation has awarded a minimum of five full tuition and book scholarships, each for a period of seven years or to the completion of tertiary level education. To date, the fund has contributed to the education of over 66 students, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the private and public sectors.
He holds many other memberships including the Board of Trustees of the Queen Elizabeth Home and is a director on the boards of numerous private sector companies.
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.
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