Those with hopes of finding a reservation for Old Year’s Night celebrations will have to move quickly as many restaurants and hotels are reporting heavy or full bookings.
Manager of Radisson Aquatica Resort in Aquatic Gap, St Michael, Gerry Lewis, said recently they were expecting a sold-out crowd for the night with a rush of reservations coming immediately after Christmas.
“We have a full house with a 100 per cent occupancy on that night, so we will have non-resident bookings, which are local bookings as well as our in-house guests. The bookings coming in at the moment are driven by non-residents,” he explained.
At Primo Bar & Bistro, all tables have been booked at the ocean-front diner in St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church.
“Since we opened we always had a full house Old Year’s Night,” owner Zary Evelyn told the DAILY NATION.
“We could have filled it twice if only we had the space. Bookings started as early as the summer, and that included some people who already made their vacation plans and repeat customers who know what it’s like around Old Year’s Night,” he added.
On the night, 75 per cent of their bookings will be by visitors.
“We didn’t stray too far from our regular menu. We just added a few little touches to it, some new sides and changed the variety a little bit, but a lot of our classics remain on the menu,” he said.
Buzo Osteria, on Hastings Main Road, also in Christ Church, is also expecting a full house. Owner Danny Mansour said up to 80 per cent of their reservations were from locals, many of which were made as early as the summer.
“Old Year’s Night is one of those nights that we try to cater to our loyal local market. We will be running our a la carte menu. [We want] people to come and enjoy a good meal. We’ve been doing it for 364 days and we will maintain that throughout the entire Old Year’s Night,” he said.
On the West Coast, front desk personnel at upscale The Cliff in Derricks, St James, informed that they only had a few reservations remaining.
At the Sea Shed Restaurant in Mullins, St Peter, events manager Shania Gittens said they would be at full capacity for the Old Year’s Night dinner and after-party.
She said 300 patrons were expected for the dinner that would feature a Greek-inspired menu.
“It’s a four-course dining style for the restaurant and that will probably be the hit for the night,
and then small bites for the party people. The party is drinks-inclusive starting at 9 p.m. and ending at 2 a.m. We have a fire show, a violinist and a live DJ before and after midnight and fireworks as well,” she said.
