Certain hotel establishments such as La Playa at Orient Bay, which are welcoming soldiers at the moment, hope to be able to reopen in the first quarter of 2018. "We can indeed hope to return to operation in early 2018", confirms Philippe Thévenet of the hoteliers association. But in what context?
All professionals say they want to rebuild, but there are uncertainties. The first is linked to the financial capacity of establishments to be able to rebound, to the amount of insurance compensation (which depends on the contracts taken out) and to its time.
The second great uncertainty is linked to the constraints of the coastal law; the State having announced that it wanted to rebuild respecting the law. Discussions are going to be initiated and are likely to last a certain time which will delay the reconstruction and therefore the return to operation.
"If after Luis we could afford to lose 500 hotel rooms because before we had 3, today, after Irma, we cannot afford it," says Philipe Thévenet.
Then, it will be a question of rethinking the global product, the image of the destination, and organizing a major promotion campaign.
However, the hoteliers say they are confident about the return of the Americans. A large number of them are very loyal to the island, return from year to year and have already expressed the wish on social networks to return as soon as possible to show their support.
Finally, there is a positive point in this disaster: the hotel fleet will be new. And this will certainly be a major asset in promoting Saint-Martin for the 2018-2019 season.
Source: www.soualigapost.com
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