SANTO DOMINGO.- Business leader Haydée Kuret de Rainieri is now the National Hotels and Restaurants Association’s (Asonahores) board of directors president for the 2008-2010 period, and becomes the first woman to occupy what’s considered the tourism industry’s most important post.

The major hotel chains are represented in the board and include Ventura Serra, first vice-president, Occidental Hotels; Roberto Casona, second vice president,  VH Hotels; Simón Suárez, third vice president; fourth vice president, Francisco Castillo,  Sun Meliá.

The board also includes Julio Llibre, treasurer, of Costa Caribe and Jose Bonet, assistant treasurer, of Fiesta Hotel Group, Jose Cabral, secretary, of Hotelera Don Juan, and Omar Estévez, vice secretary, of Viva Wyndham.

Kuret, of the Puntacana Resorts & Club, was chosen by Asonahores electoral commissioners Johnny Bernal, Ramon Prieto and Marino Ginebra.