Hotels and resorts · Resorts and islands

Beach and island properties selling to distant markets

Island and resort properties are the richest hotel markets on earth and the most intermediated. Guests book months ahead from thousands of kilometres away, on trust built entirely from what they can read, and the properties that own that reading material pay far less to sell the same room.

Couple walking along a resort pool terrace at first light
What the numbers say

Three facts that shape the plan for resorts and islands

$2,518

hotel ADR in St Barts, the highest of any market tracked. The five highest-rate hotel markets STR tracks are all islands.

STR, twelve months to October 2024.
55–75%

of bookings intermediated for independent island resorts, the most channel-dependent segment in hospitality.

Estimate, from the island market scan, August 2026.
12–28%

the commission band island resorts pay, against roughly 3.5 percent for a direct booking.

D-EDGE own-client average, 2025.
Segments we see most

Where the margin and the direct demand meet

Long-haul leisure and honeymoonVillas and suites with private facilitiesAll-inclusive and half-board packagingTransfers, excursions and spa as ancillary revenueWedding and small-group businessRepeat and referral from a small guest base
The operating reality

What the plan has to account for

Occupancy fell in several major island markets in 2025 while rate rose, and new supply is opening in most of them. That combination makes every incremental direct booking worth hundreds of dollars and makes distribution cost the pressure point rather than demand.

How we work, stage by stage

Usually the first three services

Where the scan usually points for resorts and islands

What do the engines say about your property?

Request the Business Scan