By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
BAHA MAR will begin the process today of recruiting 1,500 Bahamians in its first wave of hiring for the once stalled $3.5 billion resort according to Robert Sands, the resort’s senior vice-president of government and external affairs.
In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Sands said the entire process will be conducted online through the company’s website careers.bahamar.com. Interested persons are asked to visit the website or send their resumes to careers@bahamar.com.
Mr Sands said the resort is looking to initially fill positions at the golf course, the casino and casino hotel ahead of its scheduled April 21 partial opening. However, he encouraged persons who are seeking jobs in other areas to “still apply” as “thousands more persons will be hired in the coming months”.
Mr Sands said the resort is looking for persons with a good attitude, who are ready to be trained.
“The process begins tomorrow (Monday),” Mr Sands said.
“Basically, we will be launching the whole recruitment process and everyone will have to apply online. The website will be going live. It is a fairly easy process. We will be initially looking at jobs for the golf course, the casino, the convention centre and the casino hotel but if you are not in those fields you should still apply, but those will be the jobs that are filled first. So initially 1,500 persons will be hired for our April 21 proposed opening date but thousands more will be hired after that.”
In an interview with Tribune Business last week, Mr Sands said Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), the resort’s new owner, is dedicated to the success and timely opening of Baha Mar and CTFE was “very optimistic” that the April 21 opening date will be hit.
Last month, Prime Minister Perry Christie said CTFE “is arranging for operation by the Grand Hyatt of the casino and convention hotels and of other properties by SLS and Rosewood, all internationally renowned brands, beginning with a phased opening in the second quarter of 2017.
“The hirings are to facilitate the phased opening of 1,800 rooms at the conference and casino hotel, the casino, convention centre and golf course, and employment of up to 3,300 by August 2017, and 4,300 by December 2017, when all components have been completed and opened,” the prime minister said.
CTFE will invest $200 million in “pre-opening festivities, development of family amenities, entertainment and offshore island facilities and demolition and redevelopment of the former Crystal Palace Hotel,” Mr Christie said.
“With these additional investments completed, the project will have created 5,700 new direct jobs and an additional 4,160 indirect and inducted jobs.”
Comments
birdiestrachan 7 years, 3 months ago
There are so many who rue this day, including the "Wash house Man' and many FNM;s. They wanted the place to remain a stalled project, Waiting for their Knight in shinning amour Izmarilian. To hold the Bahamas hostage in a USA court and poor Bahamians out of work. But there is a different plan a better plan, and they can do nothing about it. .
Honestman 7 years, 3 months ago
The government's complete mismanagement of the Baha Mar project has cost the country hundreds of millions in lost taxes that will never be recovered. This is a better plan? A resort owned and run by China is better than a resort owned by someone who actually cared about the project and the workforce? Do you believe the sh**t you write or is the truth irrelevant so long as you get paid?
Cobalt 7 years, 3 months ago
Birdie is just another blind PLP supporter. The PLP can do no wrong in her book. Ironically, people like that are a huge part of the reason that the Bahamas is in such a deplorable state.
athlete12 7 years, 3 months ago
Isn't it a coincidence that resort is opening the same year as the election? Wasn't it suppose to open years ago? Aren't these resorts always owned by foreigner? And to China who is a trade enemy of the US where I'm sure you've gone a few times.
Bah Mars jobs won't save the country's economy. We have a job problem because we have a tourism problem. Hotels in freeport are closed until may. Atlantis hasn't turned a profit in years and when they do it will be taken out of the country.
If we seriously want to help the economy. Legalize Marijuana...countries and even US states where it is legal have constant tourism traffic and decrease CRIME because you take the value of the dealers product.
But I am realistic this wont happen in the Bahamas for the next 60 years
MonkeeDoo 7 years, 3 months ago
Amen Cobalt !!!
DillyTree 7 years, 3 months ago
And the timing is such that PLP fools will leap up and down in the streets as though the Messiah has arrived shouting that the PLP has saved the country by opening Baha Mar. Oh, that right, there's an election just after this "opening"....
Wonder if they'll still be handing out the t-shirts and cash on election day, or will these paltry few jobs be enough to pacify the ignorant masses?
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