The UNESCO designation of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison as a World Heritage site brings in business opportunities in Barbados, related to its rich history. Besides heritage tourism, many visitors came for health reasons, such as George Washington and his brother in 1751. Visitors were interested in places from Sam Lord’s Castle to St. John’s Church, St. Michael’s Cathedral to St. Nicholas Abbey. Hotels like the Atlantis, the Crane and the “lovely lost lady”, the Marine, were the hosts.
The UNESCO branding intersects with a whole new era of tourism – the re-birth of the intimate inn and development of Airbnb. This massively growing business, now worth more than a billion dollars, is based on the same principal as the little family run, intimate hostelry or bed and breakfast.
In the old days in Barbados, visitors used to put up in small hotels and guest houses, originally in the historic core of Bridgetown, made famous by Rachel Pringle, who hosted a party for Prince William Henry, and by the 1880s they opened by the sea – at Hastings (the Seaview, now The Savannah, and the Ocean View), the Crane and the Atlantis on the dramatic East Coast. Initially, they were small, family run hotels, just like the intimate historic inns in many other countries.
Modern hotels here are now rarely family run, and international “chain” hotels have streamlined the business, with common standards and chain details. Many visitors want a local experience, and this is where both the UNESCO branding, emphasising Barbados’ rich history and Airbnb come in.
Barbados already has more than 1,000 properties and it’s growing. They range from a modest room or two with a family to a beach side luxury villa and this broad range of hostelries – from simple to sophisticated – has become a full part of Airbnb.
