A significant increase in profits at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas certainly was a boon for the CBRE team arranging the sale of the 30-acre U.S. Virgin Islands luxury resort.

But that also presented a challenge. Potential buyers might be leery that this was a flash in the pan or a sign of volatility.

“They wanted to know that this is not a blip,” said CBRE Hotels' senior vice president Christian Charre, who led a three-member Miami team marketing the 180-room oceanfront resort for Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton's parent company. “We had to convey this is sustainable.”