Cocktails are a great way bring the Caribbean to you right now, and one of the top resorts in the Dominican Republic has you covered with a delightful spin on a classic.
It’s called Il Trinitario, and it’s a spicy Dominican twist on the Negroni — the signature cocktail at the Casa de Campo resort.
The resort has been kind enough to share the recipe with us, so “you can bring the taste of Casa de Campo home.”
“Whip up one of these, sit back and sip, and pretend you’re at the bar in Minitas Beach Club basking in a warm Caribbean breeze,” the property says.
Here’s the rundown:
RECIPE:
1oz White Tequila 1oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth 1oz Campari 1/2oz Chocolate infused with chili liqueur (like Ancho Reyes, for example)
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In a nod to the new realities of the coronavirus pandemic, Marriott has announced a series of dramatic new changes to the way it cleans its hotels — in what could be a portent of new standards across the hotel industry.
Marriott has also launched what it’s calling the “Global Cleanliness Council” led by Ray Bennett, Chief Global Officer, Global Operations, Marriott International, joined by a number of public health experts and scientists.
The mission of the council is to “tackle the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic at the hotel level and further advance the company’s efforts in this area.”
“We are living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and center for our guests and our associates,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International. “We are grateful for the trust our guests have shown us through the years. We want our guests to understand what we are doing today and planning for in the near future in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene and social distancing so that when they walk through the doors of one of our hotels, they know our commitment to their health and safety is our priority. It’s equally important to us that our associates know the changes we are making to help safeguard their health as they serve our guests.”
A major part of the company’s new cleanliness push will be in the form of enhanced technology, including “Electrostatic Spraying Technology,” which uses what the company says is the “highest classification of disinfectants recommended by the CDC.”
The sprayers clean and disinfect entire areas, and can be used to clean and disinfect rooms, lobbies, gyms and other areas.
Marriott also says it is testing ultraviolet light to sanitizes things like keys and other devices.
The company is making some major changes to its cleaning regimen across its properties: that includes “rigorous” cleaning protocols, and requiring that surfaces are treated with hospital grade disinfectants, with increased frequency.
The company will also be reminding guests to maintain social distance protocols, even removing or re-arranging furniture to allow more space; that’s along with installing more hand sanitizing stations and allowing guests to use their phones to check in, access their rooms and even order rooms service in more than 3,200 hotels.
And then there is the question of food safety; that includes enhanced sanitation guidelines and training videos for employees; all food handlers and supervisors will be trained, and the company is also changing its practices for in-room dining and “designing new approaches to buffets,” although it did not shed light on how the latter will change.
“Safety for our guests and associates has always been a top priority for Marriott and today that discussion of safety is in the context of COVID-19,” said Bennett. “We want our guests to know that we are doing everything we can to welcome them back to a safe and clean hotel environment when they start traveling again.”
Beyond the ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we move, shop and interact, it’s also changing the way real estate transacts.
While much deal activity, particularly on the residential side, has slowed, the movement that remains is happening in a very different way: virtually.
Travel bans, stay-at-home orders and shutdowns across the region have made in-person showings impossible, so agents in the region are finding new ways to show their properties.
That means virtual and 3D home tours on line, photo and video-heavy presentations and, in places where some movement is allowed, having brokers and agents do Facetime or Zoom walk-throughs with their clients.
“I had an agent that just had two “virtual” showings in Eleuthera before the country shut down,” said Colin Lightbourn of Engel & Volkers Bahamas in Nassau. “We would call the buyer on Whatsapp and have the video and walk-through. A live agent is the closest things to actually putting somebody in the house.”
Indeed, Engel & Volkers Bahamas recently sent out clients a virtual “guide” to buying real estate in The Bahamas, from virtual consultations to “personalized” home searches.
It’s a trend that has quickly spread across the Caribbean.
“We are moving to have every listing with a 3D virtual tour going forward,” said Oriana Juvelier, vice president at Puerto Rico Sotheby’s International Realty. “We’re still fielding quite a bit of interest and getting properties [that have video tours] under contract and moving forward. These are very interesting times.”
“As social distancing becomes commonplace and the Cayman Islands are currently under a strong curfew, now more than ever being able to showcase your properties in a digital format is key,” Gaus told Caribbean Journal Invest. “Professional photography, drone images, video and virtual tours with floorplans allow a potential purchaser to basically walk through the property and make an informed decision to purchase. I was just speaking with a customer from Canada today who requested these marketing types as they are unable to view in person.”
Gavin Christie, managing partner at CA Christie in The Bahamas, said the online platform is “our new norm.”
“We have shifted to a 100 percent online-virtual platform,” he said. “We have embraced technology and are utilizing it to service our clients via online showings, 3D walk throughs and even new apps like Home Rover.”
It’s also changed the way agents interact with each other.
This week, for example, regional real estate platform Selling the Caribbean and Christie have organized a new Zoom series on the new state of doing business in the Caribbean real estate market.
“Most of the agents that I have spoken to are participating in Zoom meetings either that are hosted by their own brokerage or that they are connecting to via the industry. I have heard from most of the agents are trying to stay connected and keep a positive outlook,” said Gina de Varona, director of Selling the Caribbean.
For some agents and brokers, particularly in the Caribbean, it’s a continuation of a years-long process of virtual showings, not out of the ordinary when most potential buyers don’t actually live within the market.
Indeed, much real estate work in the Caribbean has been about doing just that — marketing remotely and introducing buyers to properties initially through digital tours, photos and videos.
“Prior to this we have been actively using Matterport for virtual tours and video tours for prospects who are off island,” said Sean O’Neill, managing director at The Agency Turks and Caicos. “This has given us a library of media on different properties which has been extremely beneficial in the current circumstances.”
And for the deals that are already taking place, it’s taken all of the procedural work virtual, too.
“We still have to do our business, and at the same time we’ve got lawyers and bankers and other people we work with that also need to be virtual, getting mortgages approved and confirming deposits have been received. It’s created two or three times the amount of work — once you have someone interested or even on deals that were signed pre-pandemic, ensuring they close and keeping up with all of the different parties involved.”
So is there still activity? Lightbourn said yes.
Deals are still happening, he said, driven mostly by opportunity-hunting buyers.
“I’m getting texts and emails with ‘I’m motivated,’ or ‘if there’s a deal let me know,’” he said. “So the buyers are shopping.”
Part of that is coming from what Lighbourn termed “bully” offers.
“People feel sellers should be more motivated than they are,” he said. “People are seeing this as more of a 9/11 than a post-recession, a shorter-term situation.”
One such “bully” offer was accepted, he said, at 83 percent of the asking price on a $1.9 million sale.
“The contingency is that the new owner has to close when they can actually come and take possession,” he said.
It’s not yet clear how long it will take for the real estate market to return to normal or a version of normal.
That means “virtual” real estate will likely be with us for some time, at least in the short term.
“I still think it comes down to how long does it all take for things to get back to normal,” he said. “Everybody has a risk and a price associated with that risk — I would encourage people to put the price on their own risk, and if there’s a number that works for them, great.”
And it’s possible, Lightbourn said, that some buyers with deep familiarity of a destination could even buy “sight unseen.”
In a place like Harbour Island, for example, which has a small, well-known collection of historic homes.
“People who are familiar with an area — people who to go to Harbour Island and they know the houses because they drive around and been there five or six times, and they see them come on the market and the sellers are motivated.”
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