Barbados’ small hotels are significant to the make-up of the island’s tourism room stock. A small hotel refers to accommodation with less than 50 rooms.
While the more significant properties in Barbados depend on their international star and diamond ratings, the small hotels in Barbados rely on their affordability, intimacy, and straightforward service.
Eight years ago, over two dozen such properties got together to form a non-profit organization called the Intimate Hotels of Barbados, offering accommodation for all those visitors who wish to “get away from every day – including Royalty and the Hollywood elite.”
This intimate hotel group represents 50 properties, from about six to 61 rooms in size. The room limit for membership is 75. The Barbados small hotels in the Intimate group offer lower prices and online booking for member properties. During the summer periods, rates can be as little as US$60 a night for a studio.
But small doesn’t mean lacking in the necessary facilities. A number of the small hotels in Barbados offer comfortable, clean, and stylish rooms and provide the personalized service of a more extensive hotel, but are considerably cheaper.
Depending on the accommodation, most rooms provide air conditioning, cable television, a hairdryer, a secured safe and lockbox for valuables, and a high-speed Internet connection. Some hotels now offer wireless Internet access free of charge.
There will also be a restaurant within the hotel and a swimming pool. In some small hotels, not all the rooms are within a central building but are laid out around it, which can be a welcome touch for added privacy.
The small hotels do cater to children and have family rooms. The staff is friendly and will willingly help you organize tours, set up your attendance at a dinner show, or book a round of golf. More often than not, all this takes is a call to Reception.
Many of the visitors who use the small hotels of Barbados tend to book online. After such pleasant vacation experiences, visitors consistently write back to the properties in glowing terms about the quality of their stay and the warmth of the people of Barbados.
On their return home, one couple wrote back to the small hotel they stayed in to say: “We had the best of times, and everything was great. Your staff – everyone that we came into contact with could not have been more friendly or helpful. Our housekeeper kept the apartment sparkling, and she is such a lovely lady – she even told me where to get a new watch strap in town!”
Another couple from the UK who got married in Barbados two years ago and returned once since then recently wrote: “The Staff could not do enough for us. No matter how many times we went to the desk, we were always greeted with a warm, friendly face who was more than happy to help. The room was superb value for money.”
Another heart warmer: “When we arrived, I mentioned that my Wife’s birthday was during our stay. We awoke to a bottle of bubbles and a card on the day. The so-called “Superior” establishments cannot compete with personal touches like that.”
Enjoy an affordable and comfortable experience in the Caribbean, choose your accommodation wisely to fit within your budget, and stay in a small Barbados hotel.
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