KINGSTON, Jamaica — Barbados hotelier Patricia Affonso-Dass today took up office as the new president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

According to a release from the CHTA, Affonso-Dass will serve as president of the association for the next two years.

Karolin Troubetzkoy, the regional trade association’s outgoing president, handed over the gavel to Affonso-Dass in an emotional transition at CHTA’s Annual General Meeting during which she was hailed for her personal contributions to the region during challenging times.

Affonso-Dass, group general manager at Ocean Hotels in Barbados, thanked Troubetzkoy for her selfless efforts leading the association, while Grenadian hotelier Sir Royston Hopkin congratulated her on her steady leadership. “I would just like to say a sincere thank you for a job well done. I am very proud of you.”

Troubetzkoy expressed her appreciation for the good wishes of her colleagues. She will now serve both as chair of CHTA as well as of the CHTA Educational Foundation.