A CONFLUENCE of C's - cricket, carnival and conferences, has resulted in a bumper crop of reservations at Corporate Area hotels this month.
The test match between the West Indies and South Africa started yesterday and runs through to April 23, with a one-day match scheduled for April 28. Bacchanal sessions under the umbrella of Jamaica Carnival kicked off last Sunday at Chukka Cove and will climax with the Last Hurrah on April 29.
Coupled with various conferences, these events have resulted in some Kingston hotels being booked to capacity.
"We are looking at 80 per cent occupancy levels for this month," said Nellie-Ann Lounges, Reservations Manager at the Hilton Kingston hotel.
She told The Gleaner that this contrasted with last March, when the hotel recorded a 62 per cent occupancy level.
Ms. Lounges attributes the flood of reservations to cricket and carnival celebrations. "The telecommunications companies such as Digicel have also increased their travel this month", she said, noting that more corporate bookings were recorded.
According to the Reservations Manager, locals account for about 30 per cent of bookings. "Between Monday and Thursday we get mostly foreigners, but on the weekend, it switches," she said.
A source at Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus said occupancy levels at the hotel recently climbed to 95 per cent, "and it will be that way for the rest of the month."
"Last month we had about 65 per cent occupancy, the source reported.
"We have been running full for the month," Nicola Madden-Greig, Marketing Manager at the Courtleigh Hotel told The Gleaner.
She said several groups had checked in to attend cricket, carnival and a number of board meetings.
According to Vivienne Gordon, who works at the front desk of the Courtleigh Hotel, "we started off slowly but it's picking up".
She said 14 of the 21 rooms were currently occupied, and the remainder had been booked out for the rest of the month. The Altamont Court Hotel is also reportedly full this month, with occupancy levels of between 95 and 100 per cent.
