Two of the territory’s largest resorts have been closed this fall,
which is benefiting other hotels, condos and villas, according to the
V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association. Beverly Nicholson told the St. John Source that the Ritz-Carlton on St. Thomas is closed for refurbishment and the Westin St. John is converting some hotel rooms to timeshares. "We saw unprecedented
demand in September," she said, adding the rate was 8% higher than last
September.
Nine condos at Coconut Coast Villas on St. John are full for Christmas, Jon Schutt
told the newspaper. "But Thanksgiving is only 75%." The tourism group
said it conducted a survey of expected occupancy rates for the last
three months of the year. It found quite a range: one property on St. Croix reports
27% while a St. John operator expects 91%.