Property managers at Royal Palms Hotel believe the America’s Cup has provided a positive impact on their business operations.

Co-owner Nicholas Weare said in a press release: “We’re enjoying a very successful year with May and June being particularly busy.

“All of this year has been up for us and advance bookings for July and August look very strong as well. The breadth of the increase in demand is what we’re looking at and we’re more than optimistic about the America’s Cup legacy benefits from a tourism perspective.”

Mr Weare said Royal Palms is serving repeat customers who are visiting and revisiting Bermuda to plan sailing events in the wake of the America’s Cup. “Before June and after June, those visitors would not be staying in our hotel if not for the America’s Cup,” he said. “The Americas Cup has really put Bermuda on the map.”

Royal Palms is a 32-room boutique hotel in Pembroke, on the outskirts of Hamilton. The hotel and its iconic restaurant Ascots hire more than 30 people. The Weare family has owned the property since the 1980s and say they cannot recall a time when their outlook on tourism was brighter.

Mr Weare said: “We’ve never seen the buzz that we have in Bermuda right now. The image that Bermuda is portraying is similar to St Barts and Monte Carlo — high end and glamorous. Bermuda can become a yachting destination, not just a yachting transit point. That is a realistic objective and when our hotel guests walk down Front Street they feel the excitement. This new buzz and image of Bermuda enhances their vacation and it’s having a very clear positive impact on visitor satisfaction.”

The press release says staff at Royal Palms are enjoying “far higher income” due to greater occupancy and non-discounted rates.

It states: “The busy hotel means everyone is working very hard and the managers at the hotel thought it important that they also enjoy and understand the benefits of the America’s Cup and to expose employees to Team BDA and the America’s Cup Endeavour Programme, which provide athletic and academic opportunities to Bermuda’s young people.”

Staff were taken for a cruise on Sun Deck, a boat skippered by Bermudian sailor Lawson Williams.