Even though there are no longer hotel guests, steam still rises from Bath’s thermal springs just as it did 200 years ago.
Stone walls stand where travelers would arrive by horse-drawn carriage and relax in mineral waters long before the Caribbean became a leisure playground. Widely considered the Caribbean’s first hotel, The Bath Hotel is currently undergoing a major conservation and stabilization effort designed to protect one of the region’s earliest tourist attractions.
The multi-year restoration is supported by a $403,000 grant from the U.S. Ambassador Cultural Preservation Fund. The second phase of the project was completed in January 2026.
A definitive place in Caribbean tourism history
Built around Nevis’ natural hot springs in the early 19th century, the Bath Hotel is considered the Caribbean’s first intentionally designed spa resort.
Long before all-inclusive packages and beach towers, travelers came here for wellness. The hotel was built to take advantage of the island’s geothermal waters to create a destination rooted in therapeutic bathing and extended stays.
If you visit today you can see how this building was located. Close to the spring, airy and facing the landscape. The hotel marked a turning point in the area’s development, transforming it from a colonial outpost into a health and resort destination.
Restoration is about more than architecture. Protecting a slice of Caribbean tourism that predates the modern resort era by more than 100 years.
What is included in restoration
Current preservation efforts are focused on stabilizing and preserving historic structures to prevent further deterioration.
This work is being led by the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society in collaboration with the Nevis Island Authority and community stakeholders. This collaboration reflects joint efforts to balance heritage protection and long-term cultural tourism planning.
A $403,000 grant from the U.S. Ambassador Cultural Preservation Fund is supporting technical preservation work, stabilization measures and preservation planning designed to ensure the building remains structurally sound for future generations.
Phase 2 of the project was completed in January 2026, marking an important milestone in the multi-year plan ahead.
Why it matters to Nevis
Nevis has long established itself as one of the Caribbean’s quieter destinations, an island where history, scenery and community are still visible.
The Bath Hotel is located at the intersection of these three. It represents early Caribbean travel, wellness traditions associated with natural hot springs, and a part of the Nevisian identity that extends beyond tourism.
With travelers increasingly interested in destinations with depth and story, preserving historic sites strengthens the island’s cultural infrastructure. For visitors, the Bath Hotel provides context. It’s a reminder that Caribbean tourism didn’t start with large beachfront resorts. It began with travelers seeking mineral springs, health remedies, and recovery.
Protecting this heritage strengthens Nevis’ broader approach to sustainable travel that prioritizes heritage alongside hospitality.
A shared commitment to cultural preservation
The restoration effort highlights the growing regional emphasis on cultural preservation as part of tourism development.
By partnering with local organizations and government leaders, the project reflects a model in which conservation is community-led and internationally supported.
The Bath Hotel is more than just a historic building. It is a physical record of how travel evolved in the Caribbean – how natural resources shaped early hospitality and how islands like Nevis became destinations before the jet age.
As preservation efforts continue, the goal is not to modernize the landmark, but to stabilize and protect it so that its story remains visible.
If you stand near the hot springs today, you are witnessing one of the Caribbean’s first tourism experiments. The ongoing restoration work is designed to ensure that this chapter of history remains part of the region’s future.
