Excerpt from Travel Weekly
For some hoteliers, the concepts of peak and off-peak seasons are no longer as relevant as they once were.
Thanks to unrelenting pent-up demand, many popular destinations can no longer discern a marked lull in business at certain times of the year.
Nikheel Advani, COO and co-founder of Grace Bay Resorts, which has several Turks and Caicos properties, told me that much of 2021 and 2022 has blended together into a single, homogenous season.
"Sometime around March of 2021 was when we saw a sudden wave start, and things jumped to 80%-to-100% occupancy," Advani said. "And since then, quite honestly, we've had just one season: busy."
Turns out, being busy all the time comes with its own unique set of challenges. While the high occupancy is certainly welcome, finding the best time to take care of routine maintenance or make updates to a property becomes complicated when there's lots of business on the books.
"At the luxury level, we've got to make sure that the rooms are in tip-top condition and that we're always adding or upgrading," Advani said. "What we've had to do these days, quite honestly, is close a section of the property and displace some level of business in order to paint, change out furniture or make upgrades."
It's a decision that marks a stark contrast to the earlier phases of the pandemic, when travel remained largely at a standstill and properties could embark on significant renovation projects with little worry around bothering guests.
While Advani acknowledged that Grace Bay Resorts could likely delay some enhancements, he and his team have chosen to move forward with them this year, even if it means turning away some of that pent-up business.
Click here to read complete article at Travel Weekly.