By the Caribbean Journal staff

Kingston’s quietly robust hotel pipeline has unveiled another new property: the R Hotel.

Jamaica’s newest business hotel has debuted in the heart of New Kingston.

“Kingston has a major appeal as an urban tourist destination,” said Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “Kingston is a brand, and people the world over want to visit Jamaica to see what the city has to offer. Hotels such as the R offer them an ultra-modern stay.”

The property, which is focused on business travelers but could appeal to the growing number of leisure travelers to Kingston, has a mix of rooms ranging from standard deluxe units to two-bedroom penthouse loft suites.

Amenities include an on-site eatery and bar called the Redbones Blues Cafe, a rooftop pool, a fully-equipped business center, a gym and even its own art gallery.

The property joins a growing portfolio of hotels in Kingston that will include the soon-to-launch AC by Marriott and the recently-announced ROK hotel that will make its debut under Hilton’s Curio by Hilton brand.

For more, visit the R Hotel.

— CJ

The post A New Hotel Opens in Kingston appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

One of the Caribbean’s leading resort brands has launched a major new push aimed at travel agents.

Elite Island Resorts, which operates resorts around the Caribbean from Antigua to Barbados, has unveiled a new initiative focused on rewards and incentives for travel advisors.

“Elite’s travel agent business is up over 100% since we launched our ‘We Love Travel Agents’ campaign in early 2018,” said Sherrie Ault, Director of Sales at Elite Island Resorts. “Travel agents are an integral part of the Caribbean hospitality business, and we wanted to thank them for their support by rolling out one of the best incentive and reward programs in the industry,” she explained.

The program’s tenets range from a 20 percent commission on summer bookings to free nights for agents for every seven nights booked.

“Elite Island Resorts is committed to supporting travel agents who provide us with direct bookings,” Ault said. “We sincerely appreciate all the agents do—not just for the resorts—but also for the island destinations where the resorts are located.”

The news comes as Elite is expanding again in the Caribbean, with the highly anticipated launch of the new Hammock Cove Resort and Spa slated to debut in Antigua later this year.

— CJ

The post For Elite Island Resorts, a Focus on Travel Agents appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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(Tribune News Service) — While Puerto Rico is slated to receive well … for its hefty funding toward Puerto Rico, finally passed Congress this week … U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico,” she added.
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By Rico Louw
CJ Contributor

The Caribbean hotel industry saw its first occupancy decline since October 2018, but continued its run of growth in room rates and revenues, according to April data from hotel analytics STR.

In year-over-year comparisons with April 2018, occupancy fell 4.1% due to a 2.4% lift in supply and a 1.7% decrease in demand. Average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR), however, rose 12.9% and 8.4%, respectively.

ADR and RevPAR have now grown for six straight months in the region.

On the islands where STR maintains a sufficient reporting sample, Saint Lucia posted the largest lift in ADR (+17.1%), but the only double-digit decrease in occupancy (-14.0%).

The Bahamas saw the largest increase in occupancy (+12.1%) and RevPAR (+23.6%), while the Turks and Caicos Islands reported the steepest drop in RevPAR (-9.2%).

Puerto Rico experienced a decline in occupancy (-5.1%), but a 9.5% jump in ADR, which led to a 4.0% increase in RevPAR. The occupancy decrease is most likely due to hotels finishing up renovations after Hurricane Maria and re-entering the marketplace.

The Dominican Republic continues to lead in rooms in construction. As of April, the island had 82 hotels accounting for 15,731 rooms in construction.

Hoteliers in the region have an opportunity to contribute to the overall benchmarking efforts in the region. Just email info@str.com to participate in our STAR program.

Additional questions regarding hotel data reporting in the Caribbean can be directed Rico Louw at rlouw@str.com.

The post Caribbean Hotel Revenues Keep Climbing appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Mala Jetha, who sent in this stunning shot of Aruba’s iconic Divi-Divi trees on the beach.

Have you taken a great photo in the Caribbean?

Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in the subject line, including your first and last name and the location of the photo.

It could be the next Caribbean Photo of the Week!

— CJ

The post Caribbean Photo of the Week: An Icon of Aruba appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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