The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

WHILE conceding that the hotel is facing financial challenges, Club Land’or General Manager Prince Ellis yesterday dismissed speculation that the Paradise Island property is considering laying off any of its employees.

However, he said, management was considering reducing weekly working hours as an alternative to making employees redundant.

The Tribune understands that hotel executives made the decision after a deal to sell the resort fell through.

This comes after Labour Minister Shane Gibson’s suggestion on Tuesday that a Paradise Island hotel was considering laying off workers. At the time, Mr Gibson did not name the resort saying he was unsure of whether or not the employees had been advised of what was to come.

Tribune Business reports today that the One & Only Ocean Club is the hotel to which Mr Gibson was referring.

Mr Ellis would not directly respond to whether a deal to purchase the property had fallen through. He would only say that there were about 10 proposals currently on the table.

“Club Land’or has been on the market for sale for a while,” Mr Ellis said. “But the issue is that the owners, who are old in age, want it to be a unique sale. They love Nassau but they need fresh, new money. They have no intention to sell unless the buyers meet very specific criteria.

“But everyone has been called and asking me of our intentions. I can tell you that we have no intention of closing down. We are having some financial issues, but we don’t have intention of laying off people.

“There might be some cutting of days, but right now no one will be let go. This hotel has had proposals from everyone from Atlantis, to the Chinese, to the Indians and there was even a group of Bahamians headed by myself, but the owners rejected them because they want something unique.”

The small resort has between 40 to 60 staff members. Of that number, Mr Ellis said, the majority have been with Club Land’or for more than 25 years.

He said hotel executives were looking at how they could diversify the property.

It was reported last year that Land’or International Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 6.

According to documents filed in a US court, owners said they had 50 to 99 creditors with total liabilities valued ranging from $10m to $50m. The document also said the company has meagre assets of $0 to $50,000.

The property in the Bahamas has been on the market for $45m.