March 15, 2002 – Any promotion helps, say area hoteliers in response to the announcement that American Airlines and Travel Impressions have joined forces to offer 35 percent off airfares to the territory if travelers book one of their packages.
Bookings must be made by March 31 for travel between April 15 and Aug. 31.
"It can only be good," said Jayne Hillner, president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association and general manager at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
However, Hillner said that the airlines do this every year. And while the promotions tout a savings of 35 percent off the airfare, they don't say that the hotels also had to slash their wholesale room rates in order to join the promotion. "You don't play unless you give them a discount," she said.
Bob Siefert, president of the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association and manager of the Divi Carina Bay Resort, said American offers the deal to all of its approved tour operators. Like Hillner, he is not happy that the tour companies demand hotels' lowest rates for the summer season far in advance, then ask for even lower rates when they have a promotion.
"We should learn not to offer out best rates," Siefert said, referring to the initial summer season deals cut before the summer season starts.
Hillner also noted that the promotion covers other Caribbean destinations, too, making the competition keen for V.I. hotels.
Gregg Lundberg, manager at the Westin Resort on St. John, said business for the last half year has been good, but he's anxious to improve room occupancy during the slower summer months. He said the resort signed on with Travel Impressions "to stimulate travel and to keep our name out there."
Meanwhile, Lundberg said, the hotel is looking for travel partners to offer packages for the even slower months of August, September and October.
Siefert said hotels won't know until after the booking date ends how well they'll make out with the current promotion.
The package deal is overlapping with a current American airfare sale that has drastically cut rates to and from many destinations, including the Virgin Islands. For example, fares from St. Thomas to Newark are $386 round trip, when a week earlier they were $577. Tickets must be booked by March 22 for travel through June 17. There is a seven-day advance purchase requirement.
"It's spurring last-minute travel," Hillner said. She said last-minute bookings for March were very strong, and April has been starting to fill in, both possibly the result of American's sale.
Several Internet travel newsletters this week announced packages similar to the Travel Impressions deal. Curiously, on the Travelocity web site, the St. Thomas listing shows a reversed photograph of St. John's Trunk Bay, while the St. John listing has the same photo only this time in the correct direction. St. Croix's photo for the air-and-land promotion is of the Frederiksted cruise ship pier.
V.I. properties participating in the Travel Impressions/American package are the Frenchman's Reef, Morning Star, Renaissance, Sapphire and Secret Harbour beach resorts and Crystal Cove at Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas; the Chenay Bay, Club St. Croix, Colony Cove and Divi Carina Bay resorts on St. Croix; and the Caneel Bay and Westin resorts on St. John.
Packages with other travel companies include other hotels.
