The managing partner at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge says boutique hotels are the ideal model for the Family Islands if these centers want to realistically grow the tourism market.
Michael Hartman, an executive with the newly launched Bahamas Boutique Hotel Group Limited, held a presentation at the Abaco Business Outlook this week on their niche pursuit.
With less population density and infrastructure, the Family Islands have continued to push for greater brand recognition in The Bahamas and the Caribbean at large. Hartman said the group is aggressively marketing to the world following the recent acquisition of the Hope Town Lodge.
However, the hotelier felt stakeholders on the Family Islands must truly embrace the concept of being smaller, and offer a product Nassau cannot provide.
“We see quality growth happening in the development of this type of product,” Hartman said. “We are attracting people to this place in the country for different reasons. They are looking for an experience. They are not just buying a hotel room. For us, it is about working with our partners in this industry to target that type of traveler – the geo traveler.”
In other words, the Family Islands must leverage its size, obscurity and natural beauty to attract the right kind of tourist, which is often a high-net-worth individual.
Hartman told Guardian Business that the right message needs to reach more people, as far too many Americans, Canadians and Europeans do not understand what the whole Bahamas has to offer.
That’s the focus of Hope Town Harbour Lodge, a historic 25-room property, whereby Hartman is keen on the “repositioning of the hotel from a marketing standpoint, particularly to a group of people who don’t know the Family Islands exist”.
The group made the announcement last month that it had officially acquired the Hope Town Lodge.
According to Peter Andrews, the chairman of the company, the intention is to pull the trigger on at least one more property in the next five years, but several more could be added.
Noting that the “antennas are up”, he felt future growth could come from buying boutique hotels or building on land owned by the group’s investors.
Hartman added that bringing people to these islands in a boutique format will also drive the lucrative second-home market, particularly in Abaco. Pointing out there is “a lot going on these days”, he said there are “tens of millions” in the U.S. alone looking for the Family Island experience.
“It really allows Bahamians to be Bahamians. And do what Bahamians do. It is not a created concept. It is showcasing the life and nature of the place,” Hartman described.
He told Guardian Business that the group is benefitting from “savvy” individuals with an understanding of Bahamian business. The plan is to market and consolidate operations at the Hope Town Lodge over the next few months.
The group is then considering an expansion or refurbishment of the boutique hotel in the coming years.
By Jeffrey Todd
Guardian Business Editor
