College students planning to spend their spring break in The Bahamas may run into trouble finding accommodations in New Providence as many of the small, medium sized and larger hotel properties have opted not to accommodate them.
Several hoteliers lamented that in the past, they were left to incur substantial debt from property damages sustained because of disruptive revelers.
It left many of them adopting a no spring breaker policy this year including the Montagu Beach Inn, Orange Hill Beach Inn, Colony Club, Comfort Suites, Red Carpet Inn, Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort and the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.
Owner and manger of Orange Hill Beach Inn Judy Lowe said while they will not entice the vacationing college and university students to book rooms at the property, some of them may still find ways around the system.
However, she said, the property will enforce a zero tolerance policy against partying, loud noise and excessive drinking.
The Red Carpet Inn on East Bay Street typically caters to a quiet crowd, hence their decision to stay away from the partying students looking to book rooms.
The hotel has had unfortunate experiences in the past where it had to shell out significant sums of money on renovation costs which erodes profits.
The Director General of Tourism Vernice Walkine said The Bahams is seeking to attract a different type of clientele.
Ten years ago, attracting spring breakers to the islands was one of the ministry’s priorities, but that has changed.
“The fact of the matter is for the last several years we have been moving in a direction that says the following; first of all we have increased our room rates because that is the way we make our profits and as a result we have attracted a particular type of clientele that is more inclined or capable of paying those higher rates,” she explained.
She said The Bahamas is unlike Mexico and other vacation destinations in that regard.
“Mexico has a lot of large properties that are fairly new with low rates and so they are the type of destinations which students will be attracted to because they get to pile six to seven students in a room and split the rate and enjoy themselves for seven or 10 days of partying,” Ms. Walkine said.
“We don’t have that advantage here in The Bahamas because we don’t have huge properties with lots of rooms and low rates.”
The director general said that the ministry supports the hotels who have opted not to cater to the college students because many of them realize that they are able to survive without the hassle of dealing with partying college students.
“The hotels are finding themselves in a predicament because if they allow students to occupy some of the rooms at a time when they have in house guests, there are guests that are higher revenue, and the hotel runs the risk of upsetting their core business which is the higher revenue paying guests,” she explained.
Several hotel properties in Grand Bahama have also declined to accommodate partying college students this Spring Break.
Hoteliers are not the only ones who have been complaining about the ruckus that tends to mark spring break stays, other hotel guests were also lamenting the situation, Ms. Walkine said.
She said last year several complaints were made by visitors who paid hundreds of dollars to stay at a resort and was unable to rest comfortably due to the spring breakers. Those complaints should decrease this year, tourism officials believe.
Not all properties are shunning the teenaged guests, there are some hotels who are still hoping to lure student guests to their domain.
Ms. Walkine said the ministry has already seen bookings made for spring breakers this year increase to a few hundred per week.
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
