By the Caribbean Journal staff

Storms do happen in the Caribbean in the summertime, but one destination has you covered if they do.

Saint Lucia’s famous worry-free vacation guarantee program is in full effect this year, with 25 properties in the destination offering guests a holiday guarantee if their vacations are interrupted by adverse weather.

The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association created the holiday guarantee “so visitors could book their vacations with confidence at any time of year,” according to a statement.

The guarantee becomes effective once the Saint Lucia Meteorological Service issues a hurricane warning, giving travelers a waiver of cancellation penalties and an opportunity to reserve their trips again.

The holiday guarantee program first launched last year.

“As a sought after Caribbean destination, it is utterly necessary that our Holiday Guarantee remains in full effect to assure our visitors that Saint Lucia takes pride in its tourism product,” said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the chief executive officer of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.

Planning a Saint Lucia getaway this summer? Check out summer in Saint Lucia.

— CJ

The post Saint Lucia Has a “Worry Free” Vacation Guarantee appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Divi Resorts has named a new general manager for its Divi Village and Divi Dutch Village hotels in Aruba, the company announced this week.

The hotel company has tapped Ferry Zievinger for the role, which will take effect Sept. 1.

The move comes after Divi recently named a new general manager for its Divi Aruba Phoenix property.

Zievinger’s Caribbean experience includes stints at the Marriott in Curacao and several Sandals properties in the Caribbean.

“I’m looking forward to aligning my 35 years of experience with the company’s vision and pushing this vision to its boundaries,” Zievinger said. “I want to make sure that when someone plans a trip to Aruba, our resorts are always considered first, and that we excel as a hospitality company that’s trusted to create flawless vacation experiences.”

— CJ

The post Aruba’s Divi Village Names a New GM appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Luxury means different things to different people. It can be the luxury of design; the luxury of outstanding service; the luxury of exceptional food and drink; and it can be the luxury of extreme tranquility.

The many manifestations of luxury mean that it can often be difficult to accurately define the term. But traveling the Caribbean, one thing is clear: you know it when you see it.

These six hotels from St Kitts to The Bahamas to Antigua offer rich, unique interpretations of luxury, all with a common goal: making the guest feel marvelous.

Stunning is the first word that comes to mind at this pool.

Park Hyatt St Kitts In a short time, St Kitts’ flagship resort has become one of the signature hotels in the wider Caribbean region, thanks to everything from an outstanding culinary program to an inspired design aesthetic that marries St Kitts’ architectural history with an avant-garde flair. It’s a new level of luxury hotel in the Caribbean.

The post From The Bahamas to Barbados, 6 Luxury Caribbean Hotels to Try Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

It was a sluggish second quarter for Mexico’s hotel industry, according to a new report from analytics firm STR.

The country’s hotel occupancy was down 3.1 percent year over year to 61.8 percent last month, while daily rates fell by 3.1 percent and revenue per available room shrunk by 6.1 percent.

The absolute occupancy level in Mexico in the second quarter was the lowest for any second quarter in Mexico since as far back as 2013, according to STR.

The decline came in part because of the country’s strong hotel development pipeline, as Mexico’s hotel supply grew by 3 percent in the period.

STR also broached seaweed problems in Cancun and the Riviera Maya as potential impact factors for the decline.

Indeed, the country’s tourism hub, the Yucatan peninsula, saw the steepest declines in each of the three key performance metrics: a 5.4 percent decline in occupancy; a 7.3 percent drop in average daily rates and a 12.3 percent decline in revenue per available room.

— CJ

The post Sluggish Second Quarter for Mexico Hotel Industry appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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