Much discussion has taken place over the years regarding the conversion of full service hotels into condominiums.
How does Barbados compare with the rest of the Caribbean?
Over the last 12 years some 24 hotels (of all sizes) have closed with a substantial number of them being converted into condominiums.
Has this led to a reduction on those employed in the tourism sector?
Well according to the Barbados Statistical Service between 2002 and 2004, the tourism workforce fell by 2,000 persons, one in fourteen or 8 per cent of the total employed.
A listed of the closed hotels below:
- Tropicana Beach Hotel
- Kings Beach
- The Regent
- Glitter Bay
- Paradise Beach
- Sierra Beach
- Apple Experience
- Oasis
- St. Lawrence Apartments
- Eastry House
- Sam Lords
- Windsurf Beach
- Club Rockley
- Caribbee
- Inn of the Beach
- Coconut Creek
- Little Paradise
- Sunshine Beach Hotel
- Fairholme Apartments
- Sunhaven Beach Hotel
- Ginger Bay
- Smugglers Cove
- Villa Nova
- Robins Nest
It would be interesting to hear from other Caribbean destinations on their views of what appears to be a trend.
Adrian Loveridge
Barbados
Barbados Free Press 
why is this article being repeated?
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Comment by BFP george
The article is not a repeat. The original was a request for information from Mr. Loveridge. This is the completed list and thus serves as a resource.
bfp george
I asked this before, but answer there was none – why not request the details from CTO?
Club Rockley appears twice on this list,is this an error?
Club Rockley appearing twice was entirely my error.
SORRY!
Please replace with Inn of the Beach.
CTO statistics show Barbados’s net loss in hotel rooms, but does not list individual properties.
Thanks again to BFP readers for your help.
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comment by bfp george
Replacement Done.
Inn ON the Beach
(My God… dat done close, too??)
Condos, Condos everywhere and not a place to work.
Boys we gine have to go to Culpeppa Island and start our own tourism industry
As I have said when they build condos, it is quick money for the developer and nothing for the people who used to work there. The Government, at least this Government is screwing Bajans royally and we just keep on taking it. It seems to me from all I have heard that the Government is in difficult straights and needs money quickly, this is one way of doing it. As they don’t have to face the problems down the road.
COW wants to turn the island into golf courses and no land for any Bajan. No water for us either as it will take what little we have to water the courses. It seems that all I hear is sell the land fast and get the money out of the country, so if anything happen I can get out quick and not have to worry about the country.
Barbados is at a simmer right now with all the things that are going on, all it needs is a slight rise in the temperature and it will boil.
Who is going to be left to sort out the mess. Not Owing and his crew they will be long gone, it is people like you and me that will be left behind in all the mess with the IMF
I just have one further comment. Look around and watch the fireworks start. The honey makers are going to leave the hive very soon, starting with ESA Fields, the captain gine lef the ship just before it hit the rocks. Mark my words
why has no one answered my query as to why this story on hotel closures is being repeated. Has the writer got an agenda? If so please spell it out!
Anon, my friend…
I answered your question…
why is this article being repeated?
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Comment by BFP george
The article is not a repeat. The original was a request for information from Mr. Loveridge. This is the completed list and thus serves as a resource.
bfp george
What are reasons for closing. Adrian is suggesting Condo Conversion.. is not some of it also basic bad management indebitness lack of marketing experience and change in demand of our disearing visitors.
How manyhave been employed in redevelopment. What number of Condos have or are due to go back into Tourism in a rental pool? We need to ask more questions in an effort to get real answers.
I know Adrian ……all should be blamed on BLP but sorry I don’t accept that.
No. Some other reasons also suggested in original included lack of competitiveness, labour relations, poor service islandwide.
Dawn Morgan had an EXCELLENT, to the point article in today’s Nation re service.
Accurate, concise and freshly written.
Well done, Ms.Morgan.
??
No! I am not suggesting everything is the BLP’s fault.
If you have listened to the StarCom 12.30pm news Minister Lynch is now blaming the poor hotel occupancy on the ICC organisers. I expect the story will also be caried on the 5.30pm edition.
Everybody is to blame but the Minister himself.
Was he one of the two MoT’s at the November Georgetown emergency meeting to discuss the late implementation of the Caricom visa?
Or was he one the eight Ministers missing in action (or should that be in-action).
Let me see if I understand this correctly.
A Minister (in co-operation with cabinet) defines
national policies and ensures they are implemented.
Yes or No?
If the Minister knew the hosting dates were wrong, why did he not protest even louded and join with the other Ministers of Tourism hosting the event and say May or June or not at all.
To come at this stage and say yet again, ‘its not my fault’.
Mr Lynch is a BLP Minister yes?
Who should we blame it on then, David Thompson?
I said from last year when I was at home the talk of slow bookings. Did the Minister not know then that something was going wrong? made he had too much of Owings see thru. The island is suffering from poor promotion and the money being spent in the wrong place. The ICC when asked when to hold it should have been told the correct time, but OH no the Government in it’s wisdom thought they could get the pickings and run, but the horse is out of the stable and they can’t get it back in.
The Government should have done something last year not wait until now, it is way too late. If I was there and managing an hotel, I would have started my North American promotion in the summer of last year to get my hotel full. So although I give the Government the stick I also have to blame the hoteliers for their approach, they should have seen the writing on the wall by May at the latest
World cup was a necessity for this gov’t,so they were not going to jeopardise their chances by trying to change dates with ICC.
After all this world cup and the flyovers were going to be the last hurrah for the BLP to steal and for their friends to get big salary jobs that they are not qualified for and for their family and party hacks to sew up the contracts.
The party needed to get cornbeef and biscuit money you know.
Adrian,
Noel Lynch said in 2006 that Four Seasons, Rosewood, Banyan Tree and Starwood were to set up hotels in Barbados.
Do you know is the status on these hotels or was Lynch just using his mouth as usual?
Not only are the hotels closing down but the majority of the taxi work in the Harbour is going to the big tour operators and the small man aint getting none (or at least only the crumbs). Not only that but a lot of foolish cruise liners and transfer boats are coming in. It is still the Winter season and no cruise liner came in today. All Lynch does do is get and talk a lot of foolishness and mek people feel that he bringing good ships here. The ships that uses to bring tourists that would spend a dollar, don’t come here anymore.
Sandra,
Are you confirming that the Noel MuscelMary Lynchis a liar?
Last year in July the nation newspaper reported this about Lynch:
” IN ANOTHER TWO MONTHS, Barbados is expected to sign a deal that should significantly boost cruise ship passenger arrivals.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Noel Lynch, said yesterday at
a Press conference at Sherbourne Centre that contracts were in the hands of lawyers for both Government and the Barbados Port Inc.
The deal, he explained, should “lock in” cruise partners, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and others to ensure there would be a minimum of 600 000 passengers coming to the island annually for the next two to three years.
“What we are seeking to do for the first time ever in the history of Barbados, is to lock our cruise partners into long-term contracts and ensure that there is a certain level of people coming to Barbados to cruise.
“Last year, I said we had a 17.3 per cent fall-off. We believe we’ve been able to stem that slide, and what we’re going to be looking at at the end of the year is going to be something in the region of a four per cent fall-off over last year,” Lynch said. ”
You mean the ship ain’t come yet?
The quality of the Google Earth Satellite is not perfect but it shouldn’t be hard to see what exists at each of the 24 locations as they appear on Google Earth.
Local knowledge would still be needed to say what the locations have become.
What about the small guest houses that closed? I regret that I do not know the names but here goes.
1) The Talmas guest house in Worthing
2) Ms Ward’s guest house in front of the Worthing Police station
3) Bajan Inn, Brownes gap.
4) There was another guest house across the street from Bubbas Sports Bar.
5) White Sands, Dover
6) Next to the Light & Power in Brighton was a small hotel as well.
7) Next to Esso Paradise was a small hotel.
No Name…
The Paradise site has now been cleared ready for construction of a new Four Seasons villa/condominium/hotel.
Bacassa Developments (Barbados) Ltd state they are building an 18 hole golf course with a managed Banyan Tree Pool villa hotel at Black Bess Plantation, St. Peter.
The Starwood property, was I think is the planned Le Meridien Hotel at Pierhead.
And the Rosewood, I am not sure exactly where this will be built.
Udo Xavier..
Very good point about the small guest houses.
Entry level into tourism. Thats how it all started in Barbados.
Jerome…
Even up to last week, senior tourism officials we talking about unrealistic arrival numbers.
The acting CEO of Harissons Cave stated there would be 60,000 cruise ship and 40,000 long stay visitors attending the cricket matches here.
The deal with Carnival Corporation is for 400,000 ‘guaranteed’ ship passengers per year from their 12 global brands.
Thats 7,692 passengers per week EVERY week each year for thre years.
Just look at the Bridgetown Port site and count the number and names of the listed ships scheduled to arrive.
And what about the US$15 million loan subsidy (plus arrangement fees and interest) being borrowed from Scotia Bank to charter Carnival Destiny, while hundreds if not thousands of hotel rooms are empty?
What about the 25 containers with supplies for the Destiny. Will they pay any duties or taxes to import these?
Please add.
According to a Nike Communications (amiller@nikecomm.com) press release, the Rosewood development is planned at Harrisons Point to include a 200 room hotel, 75 villas, 160 condominiums and 100 town houses.
It’s a shame what’s going on in Barbados.
With a the hotel’s closing and yet so many condos and townhouses are being built.
I went into a property fair last year here in Dublin and was shocked to see they were selling Merricks in St.Philip with villas and apartment plans. The thing is that they are now trying to sell the same land off on Cariblist. They said this place would be Gated with it’s own private beach and I know that no beach is up there. I said this to the guy who seem shocked that someone outside Barbados might know and he said they will be making one.
What on earth is it coming too, when they going to make a beach?
Alot of people find Barbados to be to expensive so they are going elsewhere. People think that it is only a place for the rich and with all the selling going on, they buy a place so there is no need to stay in a hotel.
Years ago Barbados was clean they were places to go the place was in very good nick. There were jobs to be had in hotels and Barbados used to be a place to be proud of. Now it’s a dirty mess with people selling it off every chance for a quick $.
Alot is going to have to be reworked to get Barbados back on track, for too long everyone thought Barbados would keep selling itself. No one told them that to sell you need to know what you are selling and put it out there. Instead Barbados is know now know for the expensive homes you can buy with private beaches. The family of 4 who wants to come for 2 weeks and have a good time can’t anymore as it’s just too much money, you get a better deal in Spain.
Michele
When I worked on the West Coast many years ago I warned at that time to watch the room rates, no one listened and they have kept increasing to a point where the average Canadian can’t afford to stay in Barbados anymore and go to Cuba,Mexico and the DR. Well the plug is truly pulled now and the Canadian tourist is not coming back in the numbers as before. The Government does not care as long as they sell the condos and get the quick buck. And don’t give me the s***e that they didn’t know. For God’s sake Mr. Loveridge has been warning for years and just because he doesn’t give them lots of money and kiss their backsides they are not going to listen to him, so goodbye tourism. If tourism falls so goes the country
Michelle
Bajans are finally coming to the realisation that owen arthur has completly destroyed all that the past prime ministers and the people built up over the years.
Just like he did to Jamaica.
I totally blame bajans who refused to look past the spin from the media and the BLP spin doctors – that owen is so brilliant-
I blame all those professionals who were so greedy and had no integrity that they were willing to sell their souls and the country for a price.
Our future,and our children,children’s future have been mortgaged all because of greedy academics,professionals,journalists and newspaper publishers who say the house smoking and refused to tell us that where there is smoke there is usually fire.
And that is why I will NOT BE SATISFIED with owen and his crowd just losing the election and going off with our money to live ‘high on the hog’.
I don’t want any commissions of inquries,I want prosecution and jail if possible,and if our local judges the majority of whom have been appointed by owen arthur – would not be fair – then we have the CCJ to go to.
Politicians here must learn that we the citizens who now have to suffer and payback these tiefin (over-priced contracts),with high,high taxes will not settle for that being done to us anymore.
They should look at what we did in Canada, where a couple of the big wigs of the Liberal Party get lock up. But we need to get more of them lock up, as I am sure the $360 million was only the tip of the iceberg. And now they are in oppostion they have opposed any form of control of spending
I have just listened with incredulity, Minister Lynch justifying the Governments role in Hotels and Resorts Ltd (GEMS) on the 7.30am StarCom News.
This is from a person who shortly before assuming his current position stated ‘Government has no role in hotel ownership’.
Now his position is that Government is going to address the problem shortly. Why has it not done so over the last twelve years?
And what of the 24 hotels and numerous guest houses that have been forced to close partly due to the predatory pricing practiced by the GEMS hotels.
Let me give you one example:
When Sir Harold St. John owned Silver Rock, he honestly admitted that occupancy and room rates achieved did not allow him to repay interest and capital. When he closed the hotel to become part of GEMS, their lowest rack rate was US$116 per night.
HRL then spent BDS$40 million, added around 40 rooms and set their lowest rack rate at US$80.
Imagine how we, a small (22 room) 30 year old hotel located less than half-a-mile from Silver Rock felt about that.
I sincerely believe that not only has GEMS not helped as Mr Lynch puts ‘small black businessmen stay in business’ but quite the contrary, it has accelerated their demise.
The premature demolition of the Dover Convention Centre is another classical example of poor policy and decision making.
Many hotels (of all sizes) received meaningful year round business from the meeting held at Dover.
To demolish the centre BEFORE a plan to replace it was implemented was simply a bad and costly decision. Just one of many made by a board that is not qualified to run such an organisation.
And just before the political hacks start responding.
I would criticise Minister Lynch, whichever party he belonged to.
The decision the PM now has to make is just how much more damage can he do to our number one industry before it influences how the 13,000 industry workers vote?
When governments run anything they make a mess of it. Look at Air Canada a few years ago always losing money until they were sold off now they make money and the staff have a differrent attitude.
Hotels are no place for Government they should stay to hell out of them
Of course they can cut their rates they know they have the taxpayer to back them up when they lose money
Adrian you have written a good piece and I believe you when you say you would give it to whoever
Patrick, do you think if the DLP get in anything would be done to bring those crooks to justice?
Do you think anyone would ever get jail time? In today’s Nation Farley say Barbados need to be on par with the rest of the world. I’m not a know it all, but to me that’s means that like everywhere else jail time for crooks does it.
I do hope that they can find away to bring the crooks to justice as they are so many poor people in Barbados who can’t even buy sugar.
No-one’s going to jail. NO-one.
Did I hear someone with talk of a hotel at Harrison’s Point (St.Lucy?) ??
I can’t think of a more UN-likely success story.
Witness N.Point Surf Resort, not that far away.
Behind God’s back!
The only way that a new hotel would work at Harrison’s Point is if a small St.Lucy airstrip was initiated..then it might work.
I say No Go, frankly …money down a hole!
No one goes to jail for selling countries to us,don’t you lesser mortals know this?
Location?,
Harrison Point is not the spot for the regular tourist but is absolutely beautiful and will be an instant hit with the rich and famous, especially if yachts can moor.
There is no comparison with North Point and the timing on that was bad anyway.
No_Name,
The majority of all those ships don’t come here anymore. Once upon a time the Monarch uses to come on Wednesdays, the Festival on Thursdays and then the Facination, Club Med, Cunard Countess and Horizon among others. Where have all those ships gone? If you go down to St Maarten about 8 cruise liners comes in on a daily basis. The head tax and the duties that the ships had to pay run them. Additionally, Barbados is a very expensive destination. The only thing that bring the tourist here now is the friendly people.
This payne is so severe that it might be the death of many……….by way of Lynching!!!