Caribbean hotels strong start
STR reports Caribbean hotels are off to a 'great start' in 2026, keeping occupancy and guest spend robust across most islands — which translates into sustained pressure on F&B, housekeeping and retail procurement volumes. Strong demand means procurement teams should expect steady consumption even as input costs rise. (caribjournal.com)
STR’s March summary shows February occupancy at 76.5 percent, a 2.6 percentage-point year-over-year rise, with average daily rate at $444.16 (up 7.2%). (caribjournal.com) Revenue per available room in February rose to $339.93 (a 10.0 percent increase) while Caribbean hotel revenue for the month totaled $2.67 billion; STR’s February data also showed demand up 2.0 percent and supply down 0.6 percent. (caribjournal.com) STR’s sample for the regional series covered 2,115 hotels comprising roughly 280,892 rooms, and year-to-date through February the region’s occupancy sat at 73.9 percent with ADR $436.39 and RevPAR $322.52. (caribjournal.com) Industry benchmarks indicate hotel food-and-beverage typically represents about 20–30 percent of property revenue, a share that magnifies procurement volumes when regional room revenue reached $2.67 billion in February. (revfine.com) (caribjournal.com) Logistics constraints are sharpening: Americas Market Intelligence’s 2026 Caribbean logistics outlook flags fragile trade routes and hub concentration that drive higher costs, and recent carrier notices show King Ocean, Seaboard Marine and Tropical Shipping announcing bunker-surcharge increases for U.S.–Caribbean sailings. (americasmi.com) (sxm-talks.com) Regional sourcing remains constrained despite demand: a CHTA Linkages survey conducted with 18 National Hotel & Tourism Associations found hotels want more Caribbean-made products but face unreliable supply, inconsistent quality and limited production volume. (caribbeanhotelandtourism.com) Market responses include expanded inter-island and consolidation services—providers such as SwiftPac advertise weekly same-day/next-day inter-regional cargo to multiple islands, and U.S.-based consolidation operators (e.g., Archipelago Logistics) market Miami warehousing and cross-dock solutions for faster Caribbean uplifts. (swiftpac.com) (archipelagologistics.com)
