Hundreds of workers at Hilton Trinidad can finally set aside long-held job security fears after the Trinidad and Tobago government finalized a restructured ownership and operating framework that locks the global hospitality brand into continued operation in the country, Minister of Land and Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein confirmed at a Port of Spain press briefing Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters at the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Hosein framed the deal as a quick resolution to a long-unresolved problem inherited by the current administration, noting that while key foundational work is complete, remaining outstanding issues will still be addressed in coming months. “This marks a major milestone for both our government and the hotel’s workforce, even though our work is not done,” Hosein said. “We inherited a decades-long impasse over this property, and we have delivered a resolution in a remarkably short timeline. For workers, this means you can breathe easy: Hilton is not leaving Trinidad.”
The agreement was formally closed by the Evolving Technologies and Enterprise Development Company (e TecK), the state-owned enterprise for which Hosein serves as line minister. Under the new structure, which aligns the property with global standard hotel industry operating models, e TecK has acquired all issued and outstanding shares of Hilton International Trinidad Ltd. through its subsidiary HotelTT Asset Management Co Ltd, which will now hold full ownership of the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre asset. Hilton will remain the brand and operator of the property, managing all day-to-day services, bookings and brand standards under a new hotel management agreement.
Previously, e TecK owned the underlying land and sublet the property to the local Hilton affiliate, an unusual structure that Hosein noted was unique among Hilton’s global portfolio of properties. The new arrangement mirrors the successful ownership-operator model already in place at Trinidad’s Hyatt Regency, modernizing the legal and commercial relationship between the state and the global brand. All 250+ existing Hilton Trinidad employees will transfer to HotelTT Asset Management Co Ltd, with no planned layoffs tied to the restructuring. A town hall meeting to answer staff questions about the transition is scheduled for Monday.
A critical next step for the property is a major multi-stage renovation, with officials estimating that up to TT $400 million in upgrades will be needed to bring the entire property back to full operating capacity. Currently, only half of the hotel’s guest rooms are available for bookings, with the remaining half deemed unusable due to deferred maintenance. The previous administration had identified the $400 million price tag for renovations but left no funding plan in place to complete the work. Despite the high cost, Hosein emphasized that the hotel is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most iconic hospitality assets, and maintaining it as active hotel stock is critical to supporting the country’s growing tourism and events sector.
“Right now, we have a booming energy industry drawing international business travel, major international sporting events, and annual anchor events like Carnival and Christmas that draw thousands of visitors to the country,” Hosein said. “We need additional available hotel rooms to support this growth, which is why we made it a priority to keep Hilton here. The brand could have chosen to exit, but we worked out a deal that works for both parties.”
The initial management agreement between e TecK and Hilton runs for six months, with an option to extend for an additional six months if both parties agree. This window will give officials time to finalize long-term plans for the full renovation, while e TecK will immediately begin emergency repair work and room upgrade projects. Even with the interim agreement, Hilton has already reopened its full global reservation system for the property, allowing bookings for events as far out as 2025 Carnival, which Hosein said will drive immediate revenue growth for both the operator and the state.
“Under the new structure, Hilton operates the state-owned asset, so when operator revenue grows, government revenue from the property also grows,” Hosein explained. While he declined to share specific financial details of the deal, Hosein confirmed that Hilton Trinidad has consistently operated at a profit, which was a core factor in the government’s decision to retain ownership and keep the brand.
In closing, Hosein firmly denied recent unconfirmed media reports claiming the government planned to sell the property to a private financier linked to the ruling United National Congress. “There is no truth to these claims, no offers to purchase are on the table at this time, and these mischievous reports have no basis in fact,” he said.