The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Baha Mar’s recruitment drive has attracted 9,000 applicants in just two weeks, its top executive said yesterday, adding that despite the issues that have plagued the project in the past it still has “incredible brand equity”.

Graeme Davis, the president of Chow Tai Fook Enterprise’s (CTFE) Bahamian subsidiary, while speaking at a press conference during Caribbean Marketplace, said the resort’s new owners were committed to the Baha Mar brand.

He added that there was a tremendous amount of “pent up demand” for the Cable Beach destination.

“From a marketing standpoint it is a very interesting approach because a few people have said we should change the name, that Baha Mar has got a bad image,” Mr Davis said.

“On the contrary, I think that Baha Mar has incredible brand equity. Long-term, millions were spent in marketing across many markets globally.”

Mr Davis added: “We are right now in the final stages of our brand positioning. We will be very quickly in the coming weeks launching our website, and launching our brand campaign.

“We open April 21, and we want to make sure that we thoughtfully market as well; not to go out there and overreach to begin with.

“There is a tremendous amount of pent-up demand. Hyatt alone had over $250 million of business on the books in tentative, prospective and definitive bookings when they closed down, so there is a tremendous amount of pent-up demand on the group business side and there is a tremendous amount of demand from the leisure travellers.”

Baha Mar launched its local recruitment campaign on January 16. “I’m pleased to say, and really excited, that we have had over 9,000 applicants in just two weeks that are interested in fulfilling the 1,500 jobs to start with,” said Mr Davis.

As many as 5,000 jobs are expected to be created once the resort is fully opened. The new owner, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), has said it is dedicated to the success and timely opening of Baha Mar, and  is “very optimistic” that the April 21 ‘soft opening’ date will be hit. The Hong Kong-based conglomerate revealed itself as the Baha Mar purchaser last November.

“When you look at the project itself, we are actually doubling  the inventory here in New Providence in the upper upscale luxury market, and we are now growing the product. Over 45 per cent of the product  now will become upscale and luxury. It is important that the destination evolves with us,” said Mr Davis.

“We are focused on new markets, whether it be throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and, of course, in the future looking at Asia as an opportunity as well. We think the future is extremely bright.

“We have an incredible ownership group. We are very thankful for the support that the Bahamian government has given to this project. We are very thankful to EX-IM Bank for the amount work that they have done to ensure that when the doors closed over a year-and-a-half ago that the air conditioners stayed on, over 400 staff were kept to make sure that everything was kept clean and meticulously maintained.”