Despite the current economic downturn, Hilton Barbados has been doing well thanks to the support of Barbadians who have “taken ownership” of the hotel, director of business development Jennifer Barrow said.
Barrow told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY that local patronage had made a significant difference to the hotel’s bottom line and she explained further that Barbadians had come to expect “a certain quality, a certain level of service, and a certain type of interaction” which the now six-year-old hotel had been able “to maintain from the old Hilton”.
She said many Barbadians continued to patronise the new Hilton Barbados because of this.
Barrow said Hilton had managed to maintain 80 per cent occupancy last year when other hotels were complaining about bad business.
“We have had a good year so far,” she reported, adding, “obviously it is a lot more challenging to maintain the numbers, but there is value in being part of a major international brand.”
Meanwhile a Bajan Night has been added to the hotel’s weekly programme of activities, which general manager Robert Logan said provided “an authentic “Bajan experience” that he claimed had been missing from the product offerings.
Commenting on the importance of this additional theme night, Logan said: “We want people to know that Hilton is the place you come, whether it is the food or the entertainment, we want them to know it is available here.”
