Monday, May 27, 2013

Tourism Proposal
5-15-13 WOSO Commentary

When it rains like cats and dogs almost continuously for some 9 days straight as has been happening in Puerto Rico, I think of those poor tourists who come to Puerto Rico to enjoy the warmth and sun. I saw some of those gloomy faces at the Marriott Hotel last week when I went to our San Juan Rotary luncheon.

I can empathize with them since one of my more stressful experiences relate to those trips I take in order to enjoy a particular activity like skiing, golf, or scuba diving. A European ski trip with my son’s family who live in London was saved by snow on the very day we arrived, and a scuba diving trip to Belize a few years ago was luckily only for a long weekend since the swells made any kind of ocean sport impossible for over a week before our arrival and about a week after we left.

My Puerto Rico tourism proposal would be that we guarantee the warm sun.

Should the temperature go below 68 degrees, or should it rain for more than 4 hours between 9 and 5, the tourist would be given a credit equal to 75% of the agreed room rate. This credit could be applied to the hotel bill for room and other hotel charges during the reserved stay, or for an extended or future stay. 

Upon booking reservations, the person would pay a nominal amount per room per day such as $1 fee, or 1% of the daily room rate. The principal reason for the charge is in order to separate the sun seeker from other travelers.

The 25% charged would cover basic room expenses and my guess is that the 75% credit would be spent by most in the hotel bars, restaurants, gymnasium, spa, etc., so that the effective costs to the hotel would be negligible.  

The tourist stress and gloominess would be substantially reduced, and I think Puerto Rico would be a unique and huge attraction.       

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