In times of a pandemic less is more. A small hotel gives a secure feeling, away from the crowds and a better overview of what’s happening. If you add to that a location where a quiet divine beach and an inspiring town center are a stone throw’s away your Caribbean dream vacation becomes reality. Talk of the Town (TOTT) opens its doors to welcome you to a safe, intimate destination with all the comfort of home.
Safe and healthy
Eduardo Yanes, General Manager: “For our guest’s safety, we make a custom-made plan how they would like us to take care of them with regards to the Covid-19 situation. We follow the standard WHO protocol as a basis, but the guest can add to that in the sense of when hotel staff enter the room, when they want the room to be sprayed and so on. We leave one room unoccupied between two rooms and we continuously are cleaning.” After check-out the hotel room is empty at least 48 hours before it can be occupied again. “We leave it to breathe and clean it thoroughly. Again, being a small hotel is a big advantage now. We have the opportunity to be in close contact with our guests and know exactly what their experience is and where we can adjust or improve.”
TOTT offers 69 guest rooms, bar, restaurant, a full size pool, a Business Center and complimentary Wi-Fi service for its guests. Interior styling is modern trendy with orange, grey, white and brown as main colors. Most of the guests are visitors, leisure and business travelers, but they also have a loyal number of local guests. “Our location is very unique, we provide in everything but away from the crowds. Guests can go wherever they like from here. We have the beautiful Nikky Beach in front of us, Oranjestad’s city center just behind the hotel and we are on the main road from Noord to San Nicolas. Here you really feel you’ve been in Aruba!” says Yanes.
Art & History
TOTT initiated a collaboration with the Organization of American States (OAS) for art exhibitions. Every three months a new collection is shown in the conference room of TOTT. “We find is important to share art with our guests and locals,” Yanes states.
Like a vintage hotel on Miami’s South Beach, you feel the historical charm, and revival of old-time Caribbean chic. The Strand Hotel, its original name, was the first seaside tourist hotel in Aruba. It was opened in December 1943 by business man Ch. Neme. With its seven rooms, swimming pool, bar and restaurant soon became the social center of the island. The Rotary Club and the Kiwanis held meetings and their gala events there. The reason Neme chose this location for the Strand Hotel was that he wanted to attract high-ranking visitors to the Lago refinery arriving at the airport. In 1949, 12 rooms were added and three years later the name of the hotel was rebranded the Coral Strand Hotel. Members of the Dutch royal family, such as Queen Juliana in 1955 and Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus in 1966, stayed in this hotel after their honeymoon in Mexico. In 1964 was acquired by new owners Ike and Greta Cohen. The Cohens understood what top quality meant in the hospitality industry and opened the Talk of the Town Restaurant. This restaurant became so renown that soon after people referred to the hotel as Talk of the Town Hotel (TOTT), and the moniker eventually became the hotel’s official name. The quality standard in the TOTT Restaurant was of the highest level. Even before a hotel school was established on the island, the restaurant took on this task: young Arubans could learn from the master, Cohen himself. (Source: Evert Bongers).
Yanes: “To me TOTT is history, everyone knows someone who worked here or studied here and we kept the core as original as possible. The majority of our guests are repeaters as they are feeing the soul and home of TOTT.”
| Talk of the Town Hotel & Beach Club
LG Smith Blvd 2, Oranjestad Aruba, Dutch Caribbean |
T: +297 524 3300 | |
