My Barbados Blog

We made it through the night! More storms due tonight, but today is dry so far  . . .

Caribbean Small Hotels Rendezvous in Barbados

The Caribbean Hotel Association and the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association will hold a Caribbean Small Hotels Retreat on September 26 - 28, 2007 at the Barbados Hilton located in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Many travelers to the Caribbean are attracted to the larger mega resort and hotels, but 65% of the regions hotels fall into the category of small hotels with 75 rooms or less.

Over the years, most of our repeat visitors to the Caribbean say they prefer the smaller hotels because they provide more privacy, the beach areas are less crowded, these properties provide longer - more affordable stays, and the owners take special pride in making guests comfortable. Obviously since less rooms are available, travelers need to make their vacation requests in advance - especially during the high winter season.

Many of the smaller properties tend to retain their staff for longer periods of time, and since they have to take care of less people, they have more opportunity to interact with visitors. While these properties do not have all the glitz and amenities of the large resorts, they give the visitor a true sense of Caribbean hospitality and service. 

The agenda for the Caribbean Small Hotel Retreat was developed by the small hotel property owners to come together and discuss topics on public relations, budget redecorating, niche marketing, advantages of "green" practices, management issues, food and beverage, insurance, hidden potential revenue streams, and new technology trends.

Having been in the online travel business for over eight years, I feel many of the smaller properties could benefit from forming additional relationships with worldwide travel suppliers, online travel partners, travel agents and industry associations. In this business, the properties and corporations with the larger ad dollars get their messages delivered first to the travel industry and online consumers.

Some of the smaller Barbados properties we recommend are:
Coral Lane Beach Apartments, Best E Villas, Yellow Bird Hotel, Healthy Horizons Beach Apartments, Karekath Beach Apartments, The New Edgewater Hotel, The Nook, Ocean Bliss Apartments, Peach and Quiet, Oleander Beach Apartments, Rainbow Beach Hotel, Rockley Club Apartments, Rostrevor Hotel, Round Rock Apartments, Sea Cruise Villa, Sea Symphony Villa, Seawind Luxury Condominums, South Gap Hotel, Island Inn Hotel, High Holdings Guest, Legend Garden Condos, Winchelsea Guest House, Bali Hai Country House, and Gemini House.

Also, see previous posting for Barbados Bed & Breakfast for more information on High Holdings, Bali Hai Country House, and Gemini House. Please e-mail for more info on the smaller properties listed above.

We will add more smaller properties to our recommendations on our next visit to Barbados in January, 2008.