Susan Gordon, Business Reporter
The Jamaica Pegasus hotel will host Cricket World Cup 2007 officials and journalists for US$300 per person per night. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
HOTELS IN Kingston have, in some cases, jacked up their room rates more than 100 per cent during the period of the Cricket World Cup - March 5 to April 28 - a Wednesday Business survey shows.
However, hoteliers claim that there are no specific cricket prices, insisting that room rates for the period are being driven by supply and demand, affected in part by the fact that the matches coincide with the winter tourist season.
"We are also in the winter tourist season, a naturally high demand period, so there are fluctuations," said Nicola Madden-Craig, the marketing manager of the Courtleigh Hotel.
At her hotel, average room rates now at US$135 per night, will jump to over US$243 a night, the Wednesday Business survey revealed.
Some properties have been locking in business since the match venues were selected two years ago, while others say the space they have available will go at premium prices that were quoted to Wednesday Business at 63 per cent to 133 per cent higher than the going rates.
The cricket games extend two weeks beyond the official end to the winter tourist season (December 15 to April 15) when hotel rooms tend to sell at 25 per cent more, according to president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Horace Peterkin, to offset the higher spend required to deal with the larger influx of guests.
Kingston hotels whose product is more dependent on the meeting market, tend to maintain rates at steady levels, but will adjust to cash in on big ticket events, according to the marketers of hospitality in the financial capital New Kingston.
The Jamaica Pegasus, which will be the base of match officials and other cricket personnel, has locked in rates of US$300 per room/night, compared to the US$167 it currently charges.
Demand-driven
It's already being reported internationally that room rates are being hiked by three and four times their normal price, said Peterkin, who countered that the tourism belt had maintained its normal winter rates.
Madden-Greig said it was difficult to say how many persons would be descending on Kingston - some are expected to patronise bed and breakfasts, or opt for private home stays - for the matches, but estimated that 75 to 80 per cent of the bookings in the hotels in Kingston were cricket-related.
Seven of the Jamaica matches are to be played in Kingston at Sabina Park while the multi-purpose stadium in Rock, Trelawny, will host the four warm-up matches.
The two semi-final matches to be hosted by St. Lucia and Jamaica had been reported as sold out, but on Monday government news agency JIS reported that some of those were put back into the ticketing system.
Details on full ticket sales were not immediately available from the local cricket office.
In the five largest hotels in Kingston rooms were selling pre-cricket season at rates ranging from US$106 per person/night to US$226. But quoted season prices range above US$500.
The Pegasus' new rates kick in February 15.
"The bookings were made way in advance. There are going to be four teams officials and the press," said general manager Eldon Bremmer. "We are fully booked and because of who are staying here it will work out cheaperÉwe have not had a change in rate since last year," he said.
The Hilton Kingston hotel which began quoting its new rates in December is offering the most expensive rate of US$527, inclusive of taxes, a 133 per cent premium on its previous $226 rate.
The Courtleigh, which said it was already fully booked for the World Cup period, and has a waiting list of clients, is US$242.31 for rooms during that time slot up to May 1. Its US$135 room rate closed off on January 31, said a reservations officer at the hotel, outlining that it recently ended its US$135 room rate per night on January 31. Describing the US$242.31 as winter rates which reflects a 79 per cent increase over last month's, a reservations officer said the rates will be lowered again on May 1, 2007.
On the other side of town at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel, its current rates of US$171.47 per night for single or double occupancy will be boosted to US$280 for March bookings.
"It's cricket season" said the reservations officer of the 63 per cent increase in rates.
The Medallion Hall Hotel said it would continue to offer rates of US$106 per person per night.
Peterkin said that during the initial planning for CWC 2007, hotels were told the matches would occur in April and May, the tourism sector's summer season and the point at which its rates are generally lowest.
Planners of the competition had then proposed that rooms be made available at rates below US$100 per night, including high end properties like Ritz-Carlton - a plan Peterkin indicated was not feasible.
"I saw some low rates like US$90 per night for Ritz-Carlton. In fact they had US$90 for every hotel in Jamaica," he said.
Winter rates at some North Coast hotels range close are quoted US$473 per room per night at Half Moon, US$540 per couple per night at Sandals in Montego Bay and US$590 per room now until April at the exclusive Round Hill Hotel.
susan.gordon@gleanerjm.com
Selected Kingston hotel room rates
Pre-Cricket Season Cricket Season
Hilton Kingston US$226 per single room US$527 (tax inclusive)
Jamaica Pegasus US$167 per night/person US$300
The Courtleigh US$135 room per night US$242.31
Terra Nova All Suite US$171.47 per night US$280
Medallion Hall US$106 per person per night US$106
