The Hilton Caribbean website has just a complete renovation to make it more attractive, user friendly and more popular with search engines, too. We can't remember now what the old version was like, but the new site is useful and not overcomplicated--it's easy to get information on each of the different hotels and finding prices is simple.
We're also quite taken with the interactive map which shows you the locations of each of Hilton's nine hotels across the Caribbean, and looks like an old pirate's map. Speaking of other visuals, we weren't so impressed by their videos but the rest of the site does look reasonably attractive.
Hilton Caribbean's big goal is to get 2 million visitors to the website by the end of the year--and that's a lofty goal. We're nearly half way through 2008 already and they've notched up 500,000 visitors, so we're not really convinced that the new website will get them to their target. It's nice enough, but it's not going to blow anyone away.
The Four Seasons Nevis has never really wowed us when we're considering Caribbean destinations, and guest reviews are really split too, between super luxury resort and expensive, poor service. So we're still not sure what to think, but something new might tip us into positive territory.
Four Seasons Nevis now has "ultra-exclusive" beach cabanas to rent during the day. There are four of them, each 200 square foot in area, and they're located on the beach next to the Garden Pool (pictured). They're suitable for couples or a family of up to five people, and you can rent them from sunrise to sunset if you're planning a hang-out day near the water.
Check their package deals to find one to suit--they look like they're always better value, as standard rates start at US$490 per night and packages with all kinds of extra start from $540. Let us know if you try out the cabanas and we'll know whether to get excited or not.
We love a good YouTube video, we really do. What we're not so super keen on is fairly dry and dull promotional videos on YouTube. At the moment, that's pretty much the only type they've got posted at the new Hilton Caribbean YouTube page.
It's a nice idea, though. You can click on the hotel of your choice, including some pretty spots like the Hilton Curacao or Hilton Barbados, and get a virtual tour even before you decide to book a room. They show areas around the hotel as well as inside, and give you the differences between some of the rooms, for example.
It's functional, has a decent narrator and pretty pictures, but it's not exactly captivating. We're after a bit of action--maybe interviews with some staff or guests, and music that's not quite so cheesy. Are we asking too much? If YouTube virtual tours are the hotel promotional tool of the future, we think there's more that can be done.
Two existing resorts will be reflagged with the new brand. The 180-room Grand Pineapple Beach Resort on Antigua's northeast coast will become the Grand Pineapple Beach Antigua, and the 65-room Negril Gardens in Jamaica will become the Grand Pineapple Beach Negril.
The brand will be open to both families, couples and singles. It will be all-inclusive and cover accommodations, meals, snacks, unlimited drinks, watersports and entertainment. The rates will be about 35 to 55 percent cheaper than the other brands. This is because the resorts will be more straightforward and are simpler and cheaper to operate, according to a Sandals rep.
Sandals already has three other brands in its portfolio including the namesake Sandals, the Beaches and the Royal Plantation Collection.
Here's a complete Sandals breakdown:
· Sandals: Sandals-branded and couples-only resorts are found in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia and the Bahamas.
· Beaches: Beaches are family-oriented resorts found in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos.
· Royal Plantation Collection: This high-end luxury brand is found on Ochos Rios, Jamaica and Fowl Cay, Bahamas. Both resorts have options for private villas.
For a warm weather escape with a Dutch flavor, then vacationing on the island of St Maarten is something we'd recommend (and if you want to show off to your friends, you might explain to them that at the end of 2008, St Maarten will become an independent state of the Netherlands rather than a part of the Netherlands Antilles). A resort that's improved over the years is the Westin St Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa, which has pushed its way up to #14 out of 81 on the TripAdvisor rankings after becoming part of the Starwood chain.
With 308 rooms plus six luxury suites (all with the famous Heavenly Bed), it's no boutique resort but that means it has plenty of facilities, including two restaurants on the ocean front, as well as a cafe near the pool and a swim-up bar. There's even a casino on site that they proudly proclaim is Vegas-style, whatever that actually means--we think a casino's just a casino.
We're particularly taken by the pool, which Westin brags is the largest infinity pool on the island. It looks gorgeous, although we're not sure if it fits our definition of infinity. What we find most amusing is their policy on "saving" seats, according to one guest's experience:
The resort has a sign saying if you abandon your chairs for longer than 2 hours, your possessions will be confiscated (I commend the hotel for that!). One afternoon, 2 couples were seeking chairs and we saw a pool attendant direct the couples to 4 chairs that had been unoccupied all morning but had been "saved" by someone by leaving hotel beach towels on them. When I saw the pool attendant do this, I hoped he'd work his way up to General Mgr.of the hotel since the hotel needs this type of initiative.
Abide by the pool rules and you'll enjoy your stay. They have some special deals for winter getaways where you can get a credit to spend in the spa or in the restaurants, starting at $150 if you stay for three nights.
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
In this episode, Hotel Maven NatalieWW visits Jamaica...in her mind. Enjoy.
While half the country is in the icy grip of a pre-White Christmas winter storm, I am sitting in my windowless cubicle dreaming of Jamaica. Specifically, the Rockhouse Hotel on the western most tip of Negril.
Nestled along the rocky cliffs of a pristine cove, the Rockhouse Hotel is the kind of mythical tropical oasis that lulls sensible folks into leave everything behind for. If transported for only a weekend, I would get a cliff-edge massage, visit the award-winning restaurant in my bare feet, and listen to the surf crash while I scanned the horizon for dolphins.
From the thatched roof octagonal rock villa to the live reggae music playing on the patio, to what most people say are the best sunsets in Jamaica, this could be the perfect cure for the winter blues. And at rates from $95 to $395, the Rockhouse is a dream that could realistically become a reality.
The rumor mill has been running this weekend on just what one of the hotel world's favorite guests, Leonardo DiCaprio, has got up his wealthy sleeve. Apparently he's taking his environmental passion to a new level and plans to open a new eco-hotel in the Caribbean.
DiCaprio already owns some jungle land in Belize and has allegedly struck a deal with the Four Seasons Hotel Group to build a green hotel there. The fine green details of what will make this resort a real eco-resort and not just a destruction of jungle haven't been released yet, but must be known because they're saying construction will start in January 2008. Word is that it'll be a super-luxury yet green resort, probably ready for a few of his Hollywood mates to enjoy a private vacation there. But seriously, check out his Eco-Site if you're still not sure if his green plans are for real.
[Update: This Four Seasons resort has included the deal on its website. You can find more info here.]
This "West Indian Summer" deal didn't wow us with its undeniable value when it landed in our box, but we'll take what we can get when it comes to a well-regarded Caribbean hotel like the Four Seasons Nevis.
The package is available from August 25 to November 10, 2007, with no minimum number of nights. It includes a $100 resort credit per night, which can be applied to their golf course or spa, plus a guaranteed upgrade to ocean accommodations at time of booking. As a bonus for parents, this promotion can be combined with the resort's Family Plan, which offers a second room for children at a 50% savings.
In an all-too-common error, this package does not show up in the online reservations system if you try to book it on the Hotel's site, so call it in on the phone. The bed and breakfast rate showing up there now is $412 per night, which means the family plan should give you a second room for $211, which is definitely a deal.
You might want to spring for trip cancellation insurance if you head to the Caribbean that time of year though. Nevis doesn't get hit as often as some islands, but in 1999 Hurricane Lenny gave it a good whollop.
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by amandak
