Hilton Trinidad workers have been given a six-month reprieve after the Government secured a new management agreement that will keep the international hotel brand at the State-owned property while a longer-term solution is developed.
Land and Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein, whose ministry now has responsibility for Evolving TecKnologies and Enterprise Development Company Limited (e TecK), yesterday said the agreement was one of several pressing issues the new administration had to address shortly after taking office.
“This has been a long-standing issue that was left unattended by the former administration, and this was one of the matters that we had to settle in very short order when we came into government,” Hosein said.
He welcomed the decision to retain Hilton at the Lady Young Road, St Ann’s property, noting that the move should bring much-needed relief to employees.
“We are happy to keep our international brand of Hilton on our shores, and I think the workers also would breathe a sense of relief upon hearing this very good news,” he said.
The agreement between the State and Hilton brings an end, at least for now, to months of uncertainty surrounding the future of the 64-year-old hotel and the more than 300 employees who work there.
Under the arrangement, the Hilton Trinidad & Conference Centre will remain Hilton-branded and continue operating under Hilton management. The hotel remains State-owned through e TecK.
Also, during a media conference yesterday, Hosein said only 50 per cent of Hilton’s current room stock was usable. He noted that Government would have to source the funds to refurbish the hotel.
He added that Government was also facing an unusable room stock situation with the Magdalena Grand Hotel in Tobago, which he said also had to be addressed.
In a statement yesterday, e TecK announced that it had acquired all issued and outstanding shares of Hilton International Trinidad Limited under a Share Purchase Agreement. The company has since been renamed HotelTT Asset Management Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of e TecK that will hold the hotel asset and associated lands.
The new Hotel Management Agreement will run for an initial six months, with an option to extend for a further six months by mutual agreement. It replaces the previous landlord-tenant arrangement between e TecK and Hilton.
The deal also provides immediate job security for workers, with existing duties, reporting structures, work schedules, salaries and benefits remaining unchanged.
Hilton will continue to manage the property and oversee day-to-day operations under the new arrangement.
The announcement follows months of uncertainty surrounding the hotel, with workers previously facing questions about their employment prospects as the previous agreement between e TecK and Hilton approached its end.
Workers finally get clarity
The Communications Workers’ Union (CWU), which represents Hilton employees, yesterday welcomed the development and the assurances provided by e TecK.
CWU Secretary-General Joanne Ogeer described the announcement as the clarity workers had been seeking after months of uncertainty.
“The Communication Workers’ Union welcomes this long-awaited unequivocal position by e TecK in sustaining the jobs of the team members of the company and, by extension, the service to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. This brings a closure of understandable uncertainty to the workers,” Ogeer told Guardian Media.
Significantly, Ogeer said the transaction would not result in a break in employment, disruption of hotel operations, reduced terms and conditions, or changes to the existing industrial-relations framework.
She said employees will continue to receive their existing salaries and benefits while maintaining their current duties, work schedules, managers and reporting arrangements. Existing collective bargaining agreements and union representation will also remain in place.
Ogeer also made it clear that the union intends to hold both e TecK and Hilton to those commitments.
Maumaire reassures staff
In a letter sent to workers and the union on Wednesday, Hilton Trinidad General Manager Olivier Maumaire sought to reassure staff as negotiations with e TecK continued.
Maumaire said Hilton and e TecK remained engaged in active discussions over the future of the hotel.
“I can confirm that we remain in active discussions with e-TecK regarding the future of Hilton Trinidad & Conference Centre. While a final agreement has not yet been reached, we are encouraged by the progress made to date,” he said.
He also addressed concerns about termination and severance, explaining that those considerations would no longer apply if the negotiations resulted in continued operations.
“I would also like to reassure you that, should these negotiations result in the continuation of the hotel’s operations, any considerations related to termination of employment and severance would no longer apply. In that scenario, the hotel will continue operating as usual past September 18, with business carried on in the normal course.”
Maumaire thanked employees for their patience and professionalism throughout the period of uncertainty and said Hilton would continue providing updates as information became available.
Short period to shape future
The new management agreement gives e TecK additional time to assess the long-term future of the property while advancing priority renovation works.
HotelTT Asset Management Company Limited will serve as the asset-holding company for the hotel and its associated lands, while Hilton will continue managing hospitality operations.
The Government also announced that reservation systems and booking channels will reopen, allowing local and international guests to make reservations once again.
For workers, the immediate concern over whether the hotel would remain open and their jobs preserved has now been addressed.
Several employees contacted by Guardian Media welcomed the continuation of Hilton’s management role but expressed concern about what may happen when the initial term expires. They said they hope the agreement will ultimately be extended and provide greater certainty about the hotel’s future.
For many employees, continued employment remains critical as they manage mortgages, loans, household expenses and other financial obligations.
The hotel’s future is also closely linked to the need for major capital investment.
Guardian Media reported exclusively in March that uncertainty surrounding the property had intensified as a long-delayed upgrade programme estimated at $400 million remained unimplemented while negotiations with Hilton continued.
The need for significant investment has been a recurring challenge as the State-owned hotel seeks to remain competitive within the regional and international hospitality market.
While the new agreement provides temporary stability, it does not resolve the broader questions surrounding the property’s future. Instead, it creates an interim framework under which Hilton remains in place while e TecK evaluates long-term options.
The hotel’s previous operating structure was governed by a Lease Operatorship Agreement signed between e TecK and Hilton International Trinidad on October 1, 2003. Under that arrangement, Hilton managed the property while ownership and responsibility for major capital expenditure remained with the State.
The original 20-year agreement expired in 2023. A Deed of Variation obtained by Guardian Media showed that it was extended to September 30, 2024, with provisions for a further short-term continuation.
That lease arrangement has now been formally terminated through a Deed of Surrender.
Under the new structure, HotelTT Asset Management Company Limited will hold the hotel asset, while Hilton continues in its role as operator and manager of the property.
