# Oneil Khosa

> Oneil Khosa is the founder and CEO of Enthusiast Hotel Collection, a boutique hospitality group with properties in the United States and the Caribbean. A former Royal Caribbean first officer and DVB Bank maritime financier, he founded Blue Ocean Cruises in India and later became CEO and part owner of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, continuing as CEO through its 2022 rebrand as Margaritaville at Sea. He left that business in October 2022 to focus on hotels.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Enthusiast Hotel Collection
- **Organizations:** Enthusiast Hotel Collection, Margaritaville at Sea, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Blue Ocean Cruises, DVB Bank, Royal Caribbean, Semester at Sea
- **Education:** Master’s degree; university scholarship recipient, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Graduate, Merchant Marine Academy (specific institution unverified)
- **Known for:** Developed and managed a $1.5 billion cruise-industry asset debt portfolio at DVB Bank., Managed a $150 million private equity fund for cruise and yachting investments., Founded Blue Ocean Cruises in India, sold in 2009.

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Served as a first officer with Royal Caribbean; his shipboard experience included Explorer of the Seas.
- **Before 2009** — Worked for five years at DVB Bank in London and Amsterdam, managing cruise debt and cruise/yachting private equity portfolios.
- **2009** — Blue Ocean Cruises, which he founded in India, was sold to a local buyer.
- **2016-12** — Joined Kevin Sheehan in acquiring Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line; became CEO and a minority owner.
- **2018-04** — Bahamas Paradise added Grand Classica as its second ship.
- **2022-05** — Continued as CEO when Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line rebranded as Margaritaville at Sea.
- **2022-10** — Left Margaritaville at Sea to concentrate on his hotel business.
- **2023** — Publicly launched Enthusiast Hotel Collection.
- **2025-05** — Featured in the Behind the Stays video interview Navigating New Waters.
- **2026-10** — Described consolidating Enthusiast’s guest relationship systems into ZEPIC, retiring four redundant CRM platforms.

## Achievements

- Developed and managed a $1.5 billion cruise-industry asset debt portfolio at DVB Bank.
- Managed a $150 million private equity fund for cruise and yachting investments.
- Founded Blue Ocean Cruises in India, sold in 2009.
- Co-owned and led Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, including its 2018 expansion to two ships.
- Led the cruise operator through its 2022 Margaritaville at Sea launch.
- Founded Enthusiast Hotel Collection around boutique properties and travelers’ specific interests.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — An October 13 ZEPIC company announcement identifies him as founder and CEO of Enthusiast Hotel Collection and quotes him on retiring four redundant CRM platforms after consolidation. Vendor-reported performance claims are not independently verified.
- **2025-05** — Journey featured his Behind the Stays interview about Enthusiast Hotel Collection on May 21, 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://www.enthusiasthotels.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oneilkhosa

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/oneil-khosa
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22