Of course the villa owners and the rental agencies are within their rights not to return deposits or change the reservation for cancelled vacations,
but since this virus is a pandemic now, it would be wise to tread lightly with your customers right now. People tend to remember kindness in a crisis and will be back to enjoy the villa at another time, but something they never forget is being treated unfairly in a situation that was beyond their control.
It would be difficult to woo back a customer that no longer trusts you.
We just returned last night from 2 weeks on the island. While we were there the news broke of the confirmed case on the island, including the hospitalization of the parents in St. Maarten. We could not find any sanitizer on the island. It was sold out every where. Bottled water was easy to find as always. Tradewinds confirmed that they have had many cancellations and are certainly concerned about tourism with the upcoming bucket, usually a major draw for the island as high season comes to a close.
Last night while dining at Maya’s I noticed a lot less cheek kissing and more hip bumps and sole kissing..foot to foot that is.
I know. I’m so bummed. The press conference yesterday said this could linger for the US until the summer. Who knows how that will affect flights and travel restrictions at this point. I feel so bad for St. Barts because they just recovered from Irma. Now looking forward to our November trip and hoping to get one in before then.Tiffany,
Anita and I are scheduled to arrive April 25th for 10-days. Not to sound negative, does not look good to have significant improvements in the COVID-19 situation a mere 5-weeks from now.