In a major move to help boost Barbados’ appeal to visitors, the Elegant Group of Hotels, owned by UK-based Marriott International, has launched an ambitious $200 million (US$100 million) refurbishment project.
This extensive renovation plan, involving the phased closure and reopening of seven properties, aims to elevate the country’s luxury accommodation offerings and strengthen its position in the competitive all-inclusive market.
Marriott International has not revealed the number of workers being affected under this initiative but senior management officials gave an assurance that the employees will be supported during the transition.
“Our hotels are currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation, and we are pleased to announce that they will all be fully renovated in the near future. Our associates [workers] are our most valuable asset, and we are focused on supporting them during this transition/renovation period to make it as seamless as possible for them,” the officials told Barbados TODAY.
“We will soon be announcing the reopening of our properties and the brands they will represent.”
Crystal Cove and Turtle Beach Resorts were scheduled to close on February 1 and will reopen early next year as the rebranded Tribute Portfolio, all-inclusive resorts.
“Crystal Cove and Turtle Beach are both closing for about 15 months. That was the plan from the middle of last year. They are winding down operations now for Marriott to undertake a massive refurbishment of both properties,” chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Javon Griffith informed Barbados TODAY.
Asked how many workers will be displaced by the renovations, Griffith replied: “That, I don’t have to hand. What Marriott has been doing is undertaking employee training at LESC [Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre]. That has been ongoing since the middle of last year, where several of their employees report there on a daily basis for training, so they are not disengaged from the workforce.”
The BHTA chair said there are some workers who have opted to be separated as well.
He explained that Turtle Beach and Crystal Cove are the last properties being shut down, with the others in the chain at various stages of completion.
“They have reopened Treasure Beach and they have reopened Waves. The House is the third property to be reopened; then they are going to reopen Tamarind this winter, and then Turtle Beach and Crystal Cove will reopen, hopefully by February next year,” he revealed.
Griffith said he hopes the project remains on target, notwithstanding experiencing some delays.
“The House,” the BHTA head added, “was scheduled to have opened by now, and I know they have had to cancel summer bookings, and those guests have had to be accommodated in other hotels, while the work there continues.”
Griffith contended that while some of the hotels will miss out on crucial business during the renovations, he is adamant that the physical restructuring is necessary for the country’s tourism offering as a whole.
“It will benefit Barbados next year, having a fresh, new accommodation product on the market, rather than having people come to Barbados and complain that hotels are looking tired, so to speak. It is definitely not slow season, but given the level of renovations that they need to do, it would definitely take a year minimum,” he stated.
Griffith disclosed that when the hotels in the group are back in full operation, they will be recategorized.
“When they come back on stream, they [Turtle Beach and Crystal Cove] will be part of a new connection called The Tribute Portfolio because they are recategorizing the hotels. So, Autograph Connection will be Waves, Treasure Beach, Tamarind Cove and The House; and Luxury Connection will be Colony Club,” the hotel industry leader announced.
Griffith said a decision was taken that the refurbishments – which started last year – would be undertaken in a phased manner rather than closing all the hotels at one time and causing ‘many waves’ in the industry.
The project has attracted the attention of the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), but repeated attempts to reach Deputy General Secretary and Director of Industrial Relations Dwaine Paul for comment were unsuccessful.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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