Public Service – COVID-19

Related to the current ongoing threat of the coronavirus throughout the world, Comfort Rentals Aruba hereby provides you with this relevant and daily updated publication by Prestige Vacations Aruba. Comfort Rentals Aruba is a wholly-owned subsidiary and a vacation rental affiliate of Prestige Vacations Aruba. Therefore, all information and policies provided in this publication are also integrally and equally underwritten by Comfort Rentals Aruba.

CONTENTS

Ongoing Concern about COVID-19

There is an ongoing concern among travelers about the spread of the coronavirus throughout the world and how destination countries are handling the coronavirus threat; especially since January 30, 2020 when the World Health Organization (WHO) has proclaimed the novel virus COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).  And on March 11, 2020, the WHO finally made the assessment that “COVID-19 can be characterized as a Pandemic1. Practically all countries of the world have undergone or are undergoing varying tough experiences related to this unprecedented pandemic; but even though Aruba is no exception herein, after having  eradicated the virus locally in less than 2 months, Aruba can certainly be considered as one of the luckier few.

Public service by Prestige

Prestige Vacations Aruba (Prestige) in an early stage noticed that these same ongoing concerns exist among Aruba-bound travelers too. Consequently, on February 29, 2020, Prestige took the initiative to (a) continuously analyze the most important official announcements and updates about the developments surrounding the coronavirus’ spread throughout the world, (b) closely monitor the actions taken by the local government in this regard, (c) adapted a commensurable Rebate Policy on Cancellation Fees (see ‘Question 3’ below) and (d) as a public service, publish important findings and updates in summary format on this page. With this open summary publication, Prestige aims to properly inform the thousands of Prestige’s (already booked and potential) future guests and all other Aruba-bound travelers about the underlying issue and its consequences. Prestige provides due references and links to the official sources from which the herein summarized information is derived and pledges to on a daily basis procure for ongoing updates of policies, advisories and/or of any information published by these sources that are pertinent to this summarized publication.

Many travelers who intend to visit Aruba in the nearby future may be asking themselves too, at least these three questions:

1. Are There Any Restrictive Travel Advisories for Aruba Because Of Coronavirus?

The vast majority of Aruba’s visitors is from North America, namely from the USA and Canada. The USA’s Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continuously issues and updates Travel Health Notices for certain countries where … Continue reading »

2. What measures has Aruba taken to avoid, prevent or minimize the influx or spread of the coronavirus into its population?

The proper handling of the coronavirus threat cannot be done without taking strong measures. Aruba is one of the very few small-island communities in the world that have quickly – already since the end of February 2020 – taken aggressive  … Continue reading »

3. If travel to Aruba becomes or is prohibitive for any reason related to the coronavirus, what will happen with the funds paid to Prestige for future bookings?

Prestige’s Fair Business Policy:
“When circumstances arise that were not realistically foreseen by both parties when the agreements were established, then the interest of both parties must be equally considered”.

Rebate Policy
for coronavirus-related cancellations.

Please note: As per Prestige’s standard terms and conditions, Guests may cancel their booking at any moment in time. However, the Guest will then always  … Continue reading »

 

Closing Statement by Prestige.

Please be aware that all vacation rental properties managed by Prestige, are individually owned. The business of Prestige is to operate as a trustworthy and professional intermediary between Prestige’s most important and only two types of clients: namely, between the Guests and the Accommodation Owners.

The Rebate Policy (read it here above) that was implemented to minimize the impact of the ongoing pandemic on our customers, relies fully on Prestige’s Fair Business Policy that is applied when “a circumstance has arisen that was not realistically foreseen when the (vacation rental) agreement was established between parties (e.g., the Guest and the Accommodation Owner)”; after all, this is certainly how the current coronavirus situation can be described.

On February 29, 2020, Prestige has thus proactively created and published the above new Rebate Policy, thereby trying to imagine (?) all possible scenarios of cancellations related to the coronavirus pandemic, and thereby offering on ALL applied cancellation fees (depending on each case) a rebate value varying from 50% up to 100% of the applied cancellation fee. Many Guests (e.g. from the USA and Canada) to date are still choosing not to cancel their future travel plans and will come to enjoy their vacation in Aruba if still possible. Many Guests are even making new bookings for later this year. For those Guests who decide to (or, due to restrictions, have to) cancel or postpone their future travel plans, please know that we do have full understanding of their personal, regional, national or international motives. Bear in mind though that – were it not for the above new Rebate Policy  – only the standard Cancellation Policy would be applicable as per rental agreement which, in short, would mean:

Upon cancellation, the Guest would forfeit all sums that were already paid according to the standard Payment Schedule (= either 20%, 50% or 100%), with NO refund or rebate.

The above Rebate Policy classifies each coronavirus-related cancellation into one of four ‘rationally’ imaginable and predefined cases (a), (b), (c) or (d), in descending order of the ‘official’  impediment that prevents the guest from traveling to Aruba, and grants for each case a corresponding mitigating rebate value. These case definitions are redefined (or corresponding rebate values are adjusted) as soon as any international or national advisory related the coronavirus is issued or retracted. Of course, in view of their specific individual situation, a few Guests and Accommodation Owners may still not be fully agreeable with the case definitions and/or the mitigating rebate value that is applied on their specific cancellation request or booking. For these clients, please know that Prestige is regretfully unable to deviate from this new policy to address each individual or personal case differently than is acceptable for both parties of the vacation rental agreement.

Prestige can only once again emphasize that the above Rebate Policy has been created fully in the spirit of our Fair Business Policy where “the interest of the Guest and the interest of the Accommodation Owner are equally considered.”

This publication is compiled and updated by
Prestige Vacations Aruba
Last Update: June 20, 2020

Still valid on: