Why Sandals success where Hilton failed?

The pool with a swim-up bar next to the beach at the Sandals Royal Barbados resort. Photo taken from http://cdn.sandals.com
The pool with a swim-up bar next to the beach at the Sandals Royal Barbados resort. Photo taken from http://cdn.sandals.com

THE EDITOR: I fondly remember the first time I went to play golf at Tobago Plantations in 2002. I regret not writing down my full impression at the time but I do remember feeling as if I had been transported into a fairy-tale world with colourful buildings like “ice-cream castles in the air” (from the song Both Sides Now).

On a knoll at the sea-end of the property perched the quaint Tobago Hilton – beautiful at the start, rundown at the end – a spectacular failure after just about seven years. That project failed because of low-occupancy rates – not enough foreigners had a reason to visit Tobago, much less stay at the Hilton.

Fast forward to 2019 and the controversy surrounding the ostensible “pull-out” by Sandals from Tobago. Some bemoan a “lost opportunity” while others claim “good riddance.”

I find it difficult to believe that North American tourists will travel all the way to Tobago just for the “Sandals experience.” They can get that more cheaply/conveniently closer to home, in Jamaica (the home of Sandals) for instance.

No, we must give them other reasons to want to come to Tobago. Until we do that, all the projections based on an 80 per cent occupancy rate is just pie-in-the-sky dreaming.

As far back as 2008, long before Sandals was a thought, in an article titled “The Tobago Hilton Story,” Afra Raymond wrote that the failure of Hilton Tobago “could be considered a test case for the viability of the high-end tourism model which has so far eluded us in TT.” In all the current brouhaha, it seems that many of us have forgotten that lesson, or never learnt it.

Clearly, Sandals was discerning enough to understand the implications. They did not pull out because of adverse publicity or local politics. Given the lack of a coherent, concerted tourism thrust to woo visitors to Tobago, they made what they perceived a wise business decision not to participate. They understand that visitors will not come to Tobago just to stay at Sandals.

A Tobago Sandals is unlikely to prosper if it depends mainly on North American arrivals. It might have a chance if we invest some effort into exploring/wooing the South American market. People who want the Sandals experience will, most likely, choose the closest or most convenient one.

As Arthur Lok Jack said at a recent panel discussion, “Tobago is not on the tourism map.” A Sandals resort is unlikely to put it there but I’m willing to be convinced otherwise.

The solution, of course, is to market Tobago properly, telling foreigners why they should visit, you know, like “Tobago – beyond the rainbow?” When they get here, they might be thrilled to stay at Sandals or Magdalena (formerly Hilton) or a guest house, depending on their preference. But the first order of business is to get them here.

NOEL KALICHARAN via e-mail

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"Why Sandals success where Hilton failed?"

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