The New Price of Luxury – Caribbean Hotels Trim their Tariffs to Meet a Need

Now that the recession is officially over, we British people are starting to think about going off on holiday again. And what better way, frankly, to do that than by booking in for a week or two at one of the top notch Caribbean hotels that have been busy created designer tariffs to suit a post-downturn wallet? The owners of some of the best hotels in the islands have recognised that luxury needs a new price tag – and so they’ve developed a set of fees and tempting offers in line with current fiscal climates. The result? Perfect luxury, perfect escapism: at perfect prices.

One of the most innovative hotels on the Barbadian shores has always been the aptly named Treasure Beach, which has a reputation for leading its competitors when it comes to design, fitting and of course cost. Of all the Caribbean hotels, Treasure Beach was perhaps the first to respond to the needs of the post recession customer, offering spectacular pampering packages for cut rate prices in an effort to bring business back to the island. Treasure Beach, like so many of its compatriots, felt the bite as foreign trade dropped off during the worldwide financial crisis. Unlike some of its rivals, though, the Barbadian gem didn’t sulk and it didn’t go into hiding. Instead, it worked out tariffs that quickly started to attract former customers back to its cleverly disguised complex for a well-deserved break from the troubles of their native economies.

“Cleverly disguised” - because, again, Treasure Beach has led other Caribbean hotels, when it comes to creating an atmosphere. This particular hotel, like one or two of the cleverer others, has managed to make an enclosed private compound look and feel like an integral part of the island. That means customer who feel that they are genuinely getting an island experience – without being exposed to the risks that experience can come with. It’s all about keeping people safe without making it too obvious. Most of the more successful Caribbean hotels have achieved this trick in some measure – though perhaps none so much as Treasure Beach, whose unique tropical gardens for a barrier between the hotel and the island proper, but which just look like a natural part of Barbados’ lush vegetation. There’s a private beach, too, allowing visitors to wander those Barbadian shores happily, held in the illusion that they are living a part of the island life that visitors really don’t get to see under normal circumstances.

Like every other business in the world, Caribbean hotels have had to adapt to the new economic circumstances of global markets. Since their income is brought in solely by tourists, and since tourism can be one of the first things to die off in times of monetary trouble, they’ve had to think and work fast. Fortunately, for all those happy holiday makers, they’ve done a bang up job. Money might be tight and times might be troubling – but in Barbados, the land of “no worries”, it doesn’t matter. Holidaying in the Caribbean is as much of an escape as ever.