Changes at Jamaica’s best new hotel

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

The Cliff hotel in Negril, Jamaica is less than a year old but it’s already making improvements.

When the retreat reopens after the off-season break on October 1, it will be with a new yoga pavilion and fitness center, the final phase in the multi-million-dollar reimagining of what was Moon Dance Cliffs.

“There is no other place in the world like The Cliff, and with the recent investments and renovations, it’s clear the hotel’s ownership (Avra Jain, Joseph Del Vecchio and Dalia Lagoa) are committed to offering a luxury, exclusive and authentic Jamaican experience,” said Diandra Shand, assistant general manager.  “We are so proud to welcome guests this fall to enjoy the fully completed resort and the soulful ambiance of the local community in Negril.”

Earlier this year we named the boutique hotel, which features 33 rooms in suites, cottages and villas that punctuate five waterfront acres on Negril’s West End, among the best new hotels in Jamaica.

The post The Cliff Hotel in Negril Is Making Improvements appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Caribbean tourism businesses must adapt to succeed, according to the President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Karolin Troubetzkoy.

Troubetzkoy sees the upcoming Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum as an opportunity for hotels and tourism-related businesses to take stock and to “open our eyes to the bigger picture, which is so important if we want to succeed not only as individual businesses and destinations but also as a region.”

Speaking to reporters in Miami, where the CHTA is headquartered, she said the second annual forum, which is slated for the El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico from September 30 to October 2, 2016, will build on the success of last year’s forum.

She said the upcoming exchange is an especially important one since 2016 and proven so far to be a year of significant change and challenges for the Caribbean hospitality industry.

At the forum, hoteliers will also explore the impact of the growing sharing economy led by Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway.

With the Caribbean region poised to surpass the 30 million mark in visitor arrivals for the first time this year, Troubetzkoy believes the traditional accommodations industry must be prepared to understand shifting consumer motivations and find creative ways to make the sharing economy work to its advantage.

High on the agenda of issues currently impacting the region’s tourism sector are: the effects of Zika, the Brexit outcome, increases in global terrorism risks, high airfares, rising hotel operating costs, and effective marketing efforts.

“At CHIEF there will be a healthy dose of peer-to-peer exchanges to flush out ideas and best practices. There is no doubt that Caribbean hotels and destinations which adapt to change and are prepared to deal with uncertainty are better positioned to come out ahead,” Troubetzkoy said.

The post CHTA President: Caribbean Tourism Businesses Need to Adapt appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The fire that broke out aboard the 561-foot passenger ferry vessel Caribbean Fantasy off San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday was still active on Thursday. The fire reportedly began in the engine room of the ship and spread to other compartments on board.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A group of nine leading Puerto Rico industry and business associations are joining in an unprecedented legal challenge to a Puerto Rico Energy Commission (PREC) move to impose the first in a series of unlimited, “blank check” rate increases under the controversial…

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The Caribbean is an All-Inclusive resort hot spot but that doesn’t mean that you’ll find them in every destination. Touch down in places like Anguilla or San Juan, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a hotel that bundles your room, food, drinks and activities for a single rate. So where to go when you want to go all in? Check out our rankings of the best Caribbean All-Inclusive destinations. CJ Travel Editor Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon has the full scoop.

JAMAICA This island is famous for its profusion of all-inclusive resorts, the first of which, now known as Couples Tower Isle, debuted the concept in 1978. The company has a further three romantic all-inclusives in Negril and Ocho Rios, and is surpassed only by Sandals Resorts, which has six hotels here and offers a “stay at one, play at six” exchange program. Less than a year old, Moon Palace Jamaica Grande, beachfront in Ochi, boasts 700 rooms. At the opposite end of the spectrum, The Caves in Negril is a cozy, 12-cottage boutique with a style, charm and individuality rarely seen at all-inclusive resorts. When it comes to Caribbean All-Inclusive properties, Jamaica is king.

The post The Best Caribbean All-Inclusive Destinations appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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