Cheapcaribbean.com Goes Deluxe, Stresses Offline Service

Caribbean wholesaler Cheapcaribbean.com launched an upscale travel product line, Ultra-Luxury for Less, offering all of the luxury without the added cost associated with other upscale product lines.

Founded in December 2000, Cheapcaribbean.com has attracted shoppers to its site from the beginning even when it was virtually unknown because the word "cheap" was like gold when it came to Web searches.

So now Cheapcaribbean.com wants to make it official. With some irony, it proclaims itself to be an upscale operator, offering not just luxury, but "Ultra Luxury."

The Ultra-Luxury for Less brand offers more than 20 upscale resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico and Bermuda, including the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda, the Palms on Grace Bay Beach in Turks & Caicos and the Hotel Villa del Sol in Zihuatanejo, Mexico.

And although the name Cheapcaribbean.com implies that the company is an online wholesaler/retailer, and it clearly established itself through its online presence and its online dexterity, the company prides itself in what Hobbs calls "fanatical" customer service.