With testing protocols uppermost in the minds of many travellers, The Crane Resort in Barbados has taken matters into its own hands by introducing its own onsite lab that will allows guests to have their PCR tests processed within hours. The Barbados COVID Lab is the first facility associated with a hotel in the Caribbean.
A long-time favourite of Canadians, and owned by a Canadian, Paul Doyle, The Crane spent eight months researching and designing the lab in close collaboration with Barbados’ Public Health Laboratory. It features state-of-the-art PCR instruments and was established following WHO guidelines for PCR testing facilities.
Operated by qualified lab technicians, the lab accepts online bookings, ensuring that guests can be immediately swabbed and have results back and be out of quarantine in a matter of hours. The lab also offers COVID-19 antigen tests with results available within approximately 15 minutes.
In addition to guests, the lab will serve other visitors, expats, and citizens.
“Barbados has done an amazing job in controlling the spread of COVID-19 on the island, with current positivity rates less than 0.2%,” says Doyle. “We know that very accurate and speedy PCR testing will continue to be an important tool to keep visitors and Barbadians safe. Having our own automated PCR lab allows us to play an important part in this effort. New variants and, paradoxically, fully vaccinated visitors with a lower viral load in the rare instance they are positive, make high quality tests more critical than ever.
“In addition, we know that visitors who have been in lockdown and have waited a long while for their vacations will appreciate a hassle-free airport experience and speedy test results. (So) we decided to help by building our own PCR lab.”
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Doyle says the investment in the lab was worth it. “Our goal is to better protect Barbadians and visitors, which will ultimately contribute to the long-term health of The Crane Resort and the Barbadian tourism industry,” he says.
Located 10 minutes from the airport, The Crane Resort is the oldest continually operating hotel in the Caribbean. Set on 16-hectare grounds with dramatic cliffside views overlooking Barbados’ signature Crane Beach, the resort has 305 rooms and suites, multiple pool and dining options, spa, tennis courts, and a central “village.”
“The Crane Resort has played an integral role in the Barbados tourism industry since 1887, and we are committed to being part of its recovery 134 years later. Everyone in the tourism industry in Barbados cannot wait to welcome back visitors to the island, and we hope that our lab will help inspire confidence and encourage even more visitors to return to Barbados as soon as possible,” says Doyle.
PACKAGE
In celebration its opening, the Barbados COVID Lab is offering a “Fast Track Testing” package for Canadians for US$199 that includes personal VIP service, being whisked through customs, immigration and the various Ministry of Health processes at the airport, a one-way transfer to resort, a PCR test on both arrival and departure, and a luxury “isolation suite” at no charge in the unlikely event a fully vaccinated visitor tests positive.