Summary:
- Sanovnik Destang, CHTA president, won the Outstanding Hotelier Award from AAHOA and NABHOOD.
- The award will be presented July 23 at the Hilton Awards Luncheon during the 29th Annual African American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit.
- Destang is executive director and shareholder of Bay Gardens Resorts in Saint Lucia, founded in 1995 by his mother, Joyce Destang.
Sanovnik Destang, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, won the Outstanding Hotelier Award from AAHOA and the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers. This is the first time a Caribbean hotelier will receive the award.
It will be presented on July 23 during the Hilton Awards Luncheon at the 29th Annual International African American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit & Trade Show.
“Thank you all once again for putting your faith in me and my generation,” Destang said. “Being CHTA’s first president born in the 1980s, I fully understand the responsibility ahead of me. I’m ready to lead, but more importantly, I’m ready to serve. My focus areas will be people, technology and building stronger connections across our economies and communities.”
The award recognizes hospitality leaders for leadership, innovation and commitment to community empowerment and industry opportunity, CHTA said. Recipients demonstrate vision, dedication and the ability to improve hotel performance and community impact.
In 2024, Destang was appointed CHTA president. He entered the Caribbean hospitality sector in 2012 and now focuses on workforce development, technology adoption and cross-sector linkages, according to the association. He is also executive director and shareholder of Bay Gardens Resorts in Saint Lucia, founded in 1995 by his mother, Joyce Destang.
Bay Gardens operates four hotels, with a fifth under construction and scheduled to open in winter 2026. A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst, he has led the company’s growth.
In May, Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree Group, was named to the 2025 GlobeSt. Rainmakers in CRE Debt, Equity & Finance list and Commercial Observer’s Power Finance list.
