Small hotels’ bookings
‘good’ for high season
By Alita Singh
PHILIPSBURG--“Pretty good” and “on par with last year” were some of the remarks from small hoteliers about bookings for the high tourist season that officially starts today, Saturday. However, there are still concerns about the lengthening traffic jams and the surge in crime.
A quick scan of some hotels and guesthouses with 50 rooms or less revealed much optimism for the holiday season and the months after. Repeat guests and bookings from recommendations are driving occupancy rates up. The clientele composition of the small hotel is a mix of international visitors seeking a more intimate property and Caribbean guests seeking the comfort of a homely and warm environment.
Turquoise Shell Inn reservations show more early bookings than last year. Manager Carter Glass told The Daily Herald that this maybe the result of the property’s Web-based marketing kicking in. “We have more repeat guests. It appears as though the stock market ups and downs are not bothering people too much to stop them from taking their vacations.”
Betty Vaughan of The Horny Toad Guesthouse said the bookings look as good as last year, but the “terrible traffic, horrible road and crime situation” could impact the next season if these are not fixed. While these factors are looming, the guesthouse is fully booked for the Christmas week.
“On line with last year” is the word from Mary’s Boon Beach Plantation. Factors such as increasing traffic are not keeping visitors from vacation on the island.
Repeat guests from Puerto Rico and business people are the core of the booking for Travel Inn. Its reservations for the high season are shaping up to be better than last year, according to a representative.
Bookings for L’Esperance Hotel in Cay Hill are “good,” with 69-80 per cent of its room reserved between now and January. Bookings for the season are about the same as last year, Manager Samantha Layne said.
Sea Breeze Hotel expected steady business, as it has had throughout the year. Its guests mainly come from the surrounding islands and are apt to travel on the weekends. All rooms are booked during the weekends, while the weekday registers about 50 per cent.
A slow, but steady start of the high season is the impression from Summit Hotel. Bookings indicate that the holiday season will be a normal one, with just a few rooms reserved as yet. This, however, is expected to change for the better in the coming days.
Reporting a down season compared to last year was Horizon View Hotel. Manager Ramesh Sujanani said the traffic congestion in Philipsburg, not enough parking spaces and Front Street being closed off when two or more cruise ships are in town is hurting business. “People who want to rent cars have nowhere to park and even for people to check in, it is difficult.”
Small hotels are usually a good indicator of the high season’s pulse. Returning and new visitors this year will experience an even more bustling Dutch side and a quieter French side, which is still in the firm grip of a very strong euro.
