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The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) announced it would support an occupancy surcharge intended to help its members combat the rising costs of energy. Effective December 15, as Jamaica’s winter tourist season begins, hotels will have the option of adding a surcharge to their nightly room rates, with the amount to be individually determined by each property.
Hotels are advised to base the amount on market assessment and cost structure; a maximum of $10 per room per night is recommended. JHTA president Wayne Cummings spoke in a recent meeting on the implications for hoteliers of the rising price of crude oil and the resultant threat to their profitability. “We have been experiencing increases in the price of a barrel of approximately 53 percent since January ’07 alone,” he said.