By Fatima Thompson
CJ Contributor

HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—A mixture of lower occupancy levels and higher rates fell in line with year-to-date hotel performance in the Caribbean, according to the latest data from STR.

In November, occupancy fell 2.8% year over year to an absolute level of 64.4%. However, 3.3% growth in average daily rate (ADR) pushed revenue per available room (RevPAR) up 0.3% compared with November 2016. Through the first 11 months of 2017, RevPAR was up 1.5%, due to a 2.4% rise in ADR countering a 0.9% decline in occupancy.

Overall in 2017, the region has seen five months with a year-over-year decline in occupancy, including two of the last three. After a significant 16.5% drop during a hurricane-ravaged September, occupancy was up 3.5% in October.

When looking at the November performance of several select islands, the Cayman Islands experienced an 18.4% increase in occupancy, while Bermuda, a much smaller hotel market, showed a 14.6% rise in the metric.

Conversely, rather significant year-over-year occupancy declines were felt in Cuba (-23.3%) and the Bahamas (-18.1%).

For the year, demand is up for the region as a whole (+1.7% as of November). Supply growth (+2.6%) has grown more substantially, however, causing the aforementioned year-to-date dip in occupancy.

That supply growth will continue as there are a number of new rooms in the development pipeline, specifically in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cuba.

As of November, there were six projects under construction in the Dominican Republic accounting for 2,020 new rooms.

Another three projects in final planning would add 1,086 new rooms to the market. Jamaica reported just one in construction project in November, but another four projects and 3,190 rooms in final planning. Cuba showed a total a 2,628 rooms between five projects in the overall pipeline

For questions regarding hotel data reporting in the Caribbean, please contact Fatima Thompson, Associate Director of Business Development, Hotels Caribbean & Mexico at fatima@str.com

The post STR: Cayman Islands, Bermuda See Occupancy Jumps appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

There’s a major new adults-only Dominican Republic resort: the VH Atmosphere Resort and Beach Club.

The newest all-inclusive addition to Puerto Plata on the Dominican Republic’s northern coast has 193 rooms, including 70 garden rooms, 57 superior rooms, 50 junior suites and 16 honeymoon suites.

That’s joined by four restaurants, five bars, a tennis court, an infinity pool and access to the nearby Playa Dorada golf course.

VH Hotels’ new adults-only resort aims to “out of the ordinary all-inclusive experience for the modern couple,” according to VH Hotels executive vice president Roberto Casoni.

Casoni said the new VH Atmosphere also had a focus on wellness, with offerings including Zumba classes, yoga and other disciplines, complemented by “healthy gastronomic” cuisine.

The Lotus Bar.

VH Atmosphere was designed by the firm of prominent architect Sarah Garcia, who also designed the nearby Casa Colonial boutique hotel, another VH property.

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina was on hand this week for the inauguration ceremony.

VH Hotels has another Puerto Plata resort: the Grand Ventana all-inclusive.

The post A New Adults-Only Dominican Republic Hotel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

It isn’t often that Jimmy Buffett plays a concert in the Caribbean — much less a free one.

But that’s exactly what happened this week, when Buffett, a longtime friend of St Barth, came to the harbor in Gustavia to play a free set to help support the island’s recovery from Hurricane Irma.

And while locals in St Barth formed the majority of the audience, a small part of the crowd actually made the journey from neighboring Anguilla.

Anguilla’s Frangipani Hotel chartered a boat to shepherd hotel guests from Anguilla to Buffett’s concert, looking to say thank you to their guests for supporting them in their own post-Irma recovery process.

“Our guests’ support has meant the world to us, and we know how powerful tourism is to helping local economies recover,” said Scott Kircher, general manager of Frangipani. “We wanted to share some of that love and support with our neighbors in St. Barth and when we heard Jimmy Buffett was playing a concert in Gustavia, we knew we had to make it happen.”

The concert itself was intimate for a Buffett performance, with a few hundred guests, including onlookers on a number of yachts (along with a Paul McCartney sighting).

“This was by far the most intimate setting that anyone had ever experienced for a concert like this, which made it a very unique and memorable experience. It was outdoors, under the stars, on a beautiful night in St Barth,” said Shannon Kircher, the hotel’s marketing manager.

Buffett played for a little over an hour, according to Kircher, including favorites like “Margaritaville” and “5 O’clock Somewhere.”

“Seeing Jimmy Buffett in St. Barth was an awesome and unexpected surprise this year! There was no way we were going to skip supporting Anguilla after the hurricane, and we’re so glad to be a part of this special community,” said Gregg and Michelle Schwartz, a pair of guests who made the island hop to see Buffett. “This is what the Frangipani experience is about for us and what keeps us coming back year after year.”

The post Island Hopping to a Jimmy Buffett Concert appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Barbados has set a new record for cruise passenger arrivals in a single year, tourism officials announced this week.

The destination welcomed its record 812,864th cruise arrival for the calendar year, with American visitors Tom and Laura Thieman from Ohio putting the total over the top.

The pair arrived in Bridgetown Port on board a Windstar cruise ship.

A number of major lines sail to Barbados, from Royal Caribbean and Carnival to small-ship lines like Windstar and Silversea, among others.

The post Barbados Sets New Cruise Record appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

It’s up the steps and past the pool tables and behind an unmarked wooden door on the second floor of a covered plaza in the heart of Old Christiansted.

There’s no name, no sign and it isn’t open all the time.

But what’s inside is something rather special.

This is the secret cigar speakeasy at the old Club Comanche hotel in Christiansted, a legendary, historic boutique property that once hosted the likes of Jimmy Carter.

The oldest in Club Comanche’s collection of historic structures dates back to 1756, built with Danish ballast bricks and planks salvaged from shipwrecks and wood from St Croix’s mahogany forests.

The cigar lounge opened its doors about six months ago, but it feels far older (in a good way), with stately leather chairs, warm lighting, wooden floors and an impressive bar — along with a full humidor.

A one-of-a-kind humidor.

You’d simply never expect something like this to be behind that creaking wooden door.

This is the sort of elegant, luxurious place that does justice to what is assuredly one of the coolest towns in the Caribbean — and one that only seems to be getting cooler, with a host of creative new restaurants and bars (including another one coming to the bottom floor of the hotel called The Rum & Wine Bar).

The cigar speakeasy is now the island’s best place to smoke cigars, both for guests at the hotel and eager travelers — and it’s a new pilgrimage spot in the Caribbean for lovers of the leaf.

That is, if you can find it.

The post A Secret Cigar Speakeasy in St Croix appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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