By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Caribbean’s hotel sector slowed down dramatically last month after a solid first quarter, according to new data from analytics firm STR.

The region’s hotel occupancy was 69.8 percent in April, a 4.1 percent decline compared to April 2018.

That was accompanied by a 12.8 percent increase in average daily rates to $234.67, along with an 8.4 percent increase in revenue per available room to $163.79.

For the year, Caribbean hotel occupancy is down 0.1 percent to 72.1 percent, while daily rates are up 10 percent to $259.04 and RevPar is up 9.8 percent to $163.79.

STR’s data surveyed 1,951 hotels comprising a total of 252,580 rooms in the wider Caribbean region.

— CJ

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Another Royal Caribbean cruise ship is getting a makeover.

This time it’s Oasis of the Seas, which is set to undergo a $165 million “amplification” project, the company said this week.

The 63-day modernization project will add a reimagined pool deck, a new kids aquapark, a new water slide and new dining concepts like the company’s new Portside BBQ.

Upon completion, Oasis will head to New York in May 2020 as what will be the largest cruise ship to sail from the New York area.

“When Oasis of the Seas debuted as the world’s largest and most groundbreaking cruise ship a decade ago, the typical cruise vacation as the world knew it was forever changed. Today, our Oasis Class ships continue to lead the industry and attract vacationers new to cruising,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Now with the opportunity to disrupt the industry once again, we’ve gone all-in with our biggest and boldest amplification yet. Oasis will turn heads when she arrives to Miami this November and the Northeast in May 2020.”

Royal is also adding El Loco Fresh, a Mexican takeaway spot; Playmakers Sports Bar; and Sugar Beach, an ice cream-and-candy shop.

The company is also adding its Music Hall live music venue to the ship, which will include a slate of live cover bands and a dance floor.

— CJ

The post Royal Caribbean Plans $165M Revamp for Oasis of the Seas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell and Guy Britton

It’s been open just three weeks but you can already feel it.

Even in the late afternoon on a Tuesday, you know a hotspot when you see it.

It’s sleek, it’s instantly hip and it’s, well, Roxxy Beach.

There’s a special VIP room on the second level.

The product of a Las Vegas-based development team, this newest beach bar in St Maarten is already one of the coolest in the Caribbean, a crisply designed beach bar-meets-beach lounge where you can spend all day and then spend all night, too.

This is a new kind of beach bar for St Maarten, a sophisticated, chic destination bar that’s on its way to becoming the island’s most happening lounge, with influences from everywhere from Ibiza to St Barth.

There are two bars, in fact. One is the main outlet, with a second-floor VIP room with a view of the ocean, joined by dining tables and the main cocktail counter.

And then there’s a classic Caribbean beach shack, a low-key wooden rum bar set right on the sand.

And yes, it’s a lounge, meaning you can get a chair and put down roots for the afternoon on a brilliant patch of white sand on Simpson Bay.

And then there’s Chef Davide Castro’s standout food, a mix of everything from uramaki sushi rolls )with inspired recipes like “sake mousse” and “crunchy berries” to salads, small bites and brick oven pizza.

There’s a charming little beach shack to the side.

The cocktail program is broad, from the Shi Shi, a mix of Frangelico, prosecco, lime juice and mint to the “bamboo colada,” a mix of rum, coconut, lime juice and passion fruit.

That’s along with a robust rum list that includes some very good rhum agricoles.

Every Sunday is a regular event, when DJs descend on the sand and this corner of Simpson Bay turns into a full-fledged beach party.

Here in St Maarten 2.0, there’s a new energy, a new dynamism, as the island looks forward and imagines what’s possible.

And places like this are right at the heart of it.

For more, visit Roxxy Beach.

— CJ

The post The Caribbean’s Coolest New Beach Bar Is In St Maarten appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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