Trinidad’s Finance Minister Colm Imbert Monday said he will investigate the decision by the Hyatt Regency hotel to no longer accept the T&T dollar for transactions, preferring currencies from the United States and Europe instead.
In a statement posted on Facebook and other social media platforms over the weekend, the state-owned hotel said the measure would go into effect from November 1.
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“All transactions at Hyatt Regency Trinidad will be mainly cash-free for a faster, smoother, and more secure experience. We accept all major credit cards, debit cards, and only US dollars, British pound sterling, and Eurodollars.”
But in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Imbert said that the Hyatt recently announced a “contentious decision to stop accepting TTD cash while accepting USD and GBP cash, which it quickly rescinded.
“As corporation sole the MOF (Ministry of Finance) has no oversight role over the operations of the Hyatt but will investigate the currency aspect of the matter,” Imbert said.
The hotel has since apologized for the statement regarding cashless payment options saying it was prematurely distributed and contained inaccurate information.
The hotel’s general manager, Michael Hooper, said “at this time” Hyatt Regency Trinidad will not be implementing any changes to its payment process.
“A message regarding cashless payment options at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad hotel was prematurely distributed with inaccurate information. At this time, we will not be implementing any changes to our payment process. We wish to apologize for any confusion or inconvenience caused,” Hooper said. CMC
