Hotels scale back on Old Year parties

Old Year’s Night parties remain an active tradition here in TT, with several hotels hosting events that begin in 2017 and end in 2018.

Among them are Soong’s Great Wall restaurant (Soong’s) in San Fernando, Hotel Normandie, St Ann’s and Mount Irvine Bay Resort, Scarborough.

However other venues, such as the Radisson Hotel in Port of Spain, have scaled back their Old Year’s Night offerings for undisclosed reasons.

An employee at Soong’s said their annual dinner and dance event – the first one was held more than 30 years ago – will include live entertainment by Tricia Lee Kelshall, Kevon Carter and a DJ.

“Tickets are $588 tax-inclusive. Bookings have been very good. We have several large parties, groups of ten, 15, 20, who’ve already reserved tables on our main floor but there is still room upstairs. (Proceedings) will begin at 7 pm,” the Soong’s employee said.

Those interested in a night out in Trinidad’s capital have several choices, among them The Toast Event at Hotel Normandie and not one but two parties at Hilton Trinidad.

Tickets for The Toast Event, now in its second year, are $600 tax-inclusive. While tickets were still available as of Friday afternoon, the hotel was sold out of package deals – customers who bought these got a room for the night plus premium drinks and “cocktail food” at the event. Regular ticket holders have to purchase their eats and drinks at the party.

The Toast Event starts at 9 pm and ends at 4 am tomorrow.

Over on Wrightson Road, neither the Hyatt Regency nor the Radisson Hotel, are having parties this year.

While Hyatt has had parties in the past, this is the second consecutive year the hotel has chosen not to host an Old Year’s Night party.

However its restaurant and lobby bar are fully booked for tonight, so there will be people ushering in the new year at Hyatt in their own little groups.

Across the road at the Radisson, the traditional dinner and dance has been scaled back to a buffet-style dinner. Sunday Newsday understands that a number of factors were behind management’s decision but details of these were not provided.

Dinner service runs from 6 pm to 10.30 pm and as of yesterday, there were still seats available in the revolving restaurant atop the hotel.

Hilton Trinidad, located on Lady Young Road, has been playing host to two parties for several years now. Tickets for each are $700. The Hilton’s New Year’s Eve Party is being held on in the upper tea terrace from 9 pm to 1 am, and features dinner and dancing.

Over by the pool, the Jamborie Old Year’s Event also starts at 9 pm but goes until 4 am. The hotel’s rooms are fully booked for today.

Tobago has its fair share of parties too, including Mount Irvine Bay Resort’s annual Barefoot on the Beach and an all-inclusive party at The Magdalena Grand Beach and Gold Resort.

At $800 per person, tax-inclusive, Barefoot on the Beach has what one employee described as “a wide variety of dishes” which guests will enjoy while listening to a live band and “a surprise guest artiste.”

There are a few tickets still available for this, the third annual edition of the event at the resort located on Grafton Road in Mount Irvine, Scarborough.

Party-goers at The Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort in Lowlands will enjoy an all-inclusive event and music by a DJ for $350 per person, tax-inclusive.

Things get going at 10 pm and are scheduled to end at 2 am. While there are no room-event packages available, an employee said the party was “pretty close to selling out” as of Friday afternoon.