Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis (centre) with Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest and National Security Minister Marvin Dames at the Baha Mar resort.
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Deputy Chief Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
THE SLS Lux at Baha Mar is on track for an October or early November opening having met specific markers, according to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE) Bahamas President Graeme Davis yesterday.
While several parts of the resort remain incomplete, Mr Davis said as it stands there are over 2,100 Bahamians and less than 100 expatriates working at Baha Mar. At present the hotel has a more than 50 per cent occupancy rate, Mr Davis said.
He spoke to reporters yesterday during a tour of the resort attended by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, several Cabinet ministers, senators and other government officials.
“Right now, we are over 50 per cent occupancy which is excellent and as I said before ramping up quickly. So everything is as projected as we want (and) is ramping up properly making sure we are delivering an exceptional experience,” Mr Davis said.
“We are on track with our SLS opening. What you saw today is all of our furniture is here. We are just putting down a new floor, which takes very little time in making sure we are up and running.
“The official opening (date) we are looking at (is) late October or the first week of November.”
Asked to reveal which markers have been met to support the opening, he said: “Right now in the planning community we have exceptional feedback. We have been open over 60 days, over $75m already in prospects right now for visitor revenues for group business.”
He continued: “Right now we are hosting the Bahamian team for the Commonwealth Youth Games, which we are very excited about as well as our transient customers enjoying some great sun on the beach and our casino and other amenities. So we are right on target.
“We have over 2,000 associates and growing rapidly. We will be at about 4,000 by year’s end. We are over 2,100 in Bahamian and less than 100 in expatriates.
“And again our expatriates are here to make sure we deliver on some of that branded services (and) some of the skills. You saw the noodle chef (and) some of those exceptional and detailed areas that they are focused on to make sure that they are training Bahamians for the future.”
He said currently 10 restaurants and lounges are open for business in the resort.
Last month, Tribune Business reported that Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar revealed Baha Mar was targeting just a 25 per cent average occupancy rate for 2017.
At the time, Mr D’Aguilar said: “Their plans are to continue to very slowly open up the property. Their goal was 25 per cent occupancy for the year, and then in the first quarter of next year to begin to complete the opening of the fourth property, the Rosewood.
“The marketing campaign will be rolled out as rooms come on stream. They believe that’s the best way to do it.”
Baha Mar’s relatively low occupancy rate target for 2017 is not necessarily surprising, given that just the casino and associated hotel, plus the convention centre, were opened in late April. The remaining room inventory, represented by the SLS and Rosewood properties, is set to come on stream when these resorts open in late 2017 and by April 2018, respectively.
Comments
watcher 6 years, 9 months ago
What a misleading headline. The only claim I can see is that "the SLS Lux at Baha Mar" has 50% occupancy - no mention of the unfinished Rosewood and other properties. What is the occupancy rate for Baha Mar as a whole........or must we wait until 2021 when everything will hopefully be finished?
sheeprunner12 6 years, 9 months ago
Bahamar has four hotels ....... Melia, SLS, Rosewood and Grand Hyatt ........ Is Melia the only one that is open??????????...............How many rooms are in Melia??????? ............. How many POTENTIAL rooms are in the other three hotels?????????? ..........This makes little sense
TalRussell 6 years, 9 months ago
Comrades! { Warning this is not a Photoshop picture }. Look closely and spot the reds who were former Izmirlian media trumpeters? This fight is by far not out the bounds red cabinet's repossession agenda - and Minnis damn well knows it.
BahamasForBahamians 6 years, 9 months ago
What hypocrites.
These guys should be fired for taking advantage of the Bahamian's people intellect or lack thereof.
They sold lies and dreams that the hotel was incomplete and falsely opened. Now, fast foward 2 months they're parading around the same resort all smiles and feeling elated.
Please implement the MP recall system forthwith Hubert!
sheeprunner12 6 years, 9 months ago
You are such a bitter person!!!!!!! .......... Graeme Davis has to answer here ........... The FNM are pressuring him to justify if the Fook Hotel is open!!!!!!
ThisIsOurs 6 years, 9 months ago
It does look strange, but not sure if there's a politician in existence who hasn't over promised. People need to be more responsible on the campaign trail
OldFort2012 6 years, 9 months ago
Was there last night. The place is a ghost town. If that is 50% occupancy, then I guess everyone went to bed at 6:00pm.
jackbnimble 6 years, 9 months ago
I was about to make a similar comment. I ran down the beach after 8 the other morning. There were a handful of people on the chairs enjoying the sunrise. It literally looked like a ghost town. 50% occupancy my arse!
jackbnimble 6 years, 9 months ago
Not to mention. I ran the strip a few weeks ago. The people manning the entrances were clearly bored. There was no traffic coming through. Also there's a video circulating on social media with Bahamian workers manning tables in the casinos with nobody there! This is bullsh*t!
TalRussell 6 years, 9 months ago
Comrade OldFort2012, who would've known without the benefit of your post that like the rest Nassau Town's residents and businesses - Baha Mar too has a not to be seen wondering around or beyond the confines da grounds after Sundown Guests curfew?
birdiestrachan 6 years, 9 months ago
When Mr: Christie went to Baha Mar. roc wit doc said it was a photo moment it meant nothing. What is he calling this??
birdiestrachan 6 years, 9 months ago
Bahamas for Bahamians you are so right. what a bunch of hypocrites, they lied and said so much mean thing about this project and the Chinese Now they are all smiles,. They did fool a whole bunch of people who can not or will not think for themselves. Sarkis Spokesman was not there. he was probably some place putting Bahamians out of work.
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 9 months ago
In addition to wanting to know the true current full-time and part-time local employee head counts (definitely much less than 2,100 in total) and the true current overall room occupancy rate (definitely no where near 50%), I would have liked to have known the current true overall average weekly take home pay of both the local full-time and part-time employees, as well as the true overall average nightly room rate currently being charged to occupants. It would also have been useful to know the confirmed bookings information for the next three months and six months. BUT YOU CAN BET YOUR LAST DOLLAR THAT GRAEME DAVIS WOULD NOT BE FORTHCOMING IN PROVIDING SUCH VITAL INFORMATION AND NEITHER MINNIS NOR ANYONE IN HIS ENTOURAGE WOULD EVEN THINK TO ASK FOR SUCH INFO.
TalRussell 6 years, 9 months ago
Comrades! There's an adage that nothing on Cable Beach ever happens by accident.......But that was before Baha Mar and the red shirts cabinet came along. Baha Mar is doing it's damnedest to disprove that nothing happens by accident - including ever opening the resort 'ontime' and to a 'sustainable profitable rate occupancy' of 'paying' international guests. { After closely focusing on all the main characters in this not photoshopped article's picture..... You quickly realise - they is not fictional characters - they is for 'elected' real..... And that actual citizens by the thousands 'rocked' with them back on May 10, 2017 }.
Comrades, while this is ongoing - it's the People's public treasury that is paying to sustain this Cable Beach white elephant........ including that 'dock' that extends far out to reach the mouth da Atlantic Ocean. I wonder if Minnis and his cabinet colleagues, took timeout to walk length da Izmirlian 'dock?'
TalRussell 6 years, 9 months ago
Comrade Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE) Bahamas President Graeme Davis - may I suggest a name change from we have 2,000 'Associates' to we have 2000 'Ambassadors.' You will need highly motivated 'Ambassadors' - 'Faces of Baha Mar' in moving forward who really believe in Baha Mar- for more than a paycheque.
Good Luck!
DDK 6 years, 9 months ago
What do the Ministers of Education and National Security have to do with a hotel opening, or not opening? Don't they have any thing else to do? Like taking care of their portfolios?
TalRussell 6 years, 9 months ago
Comrade DDK, you're beautifully hilarious.
islandlad 6 years, 9 months ago
In respect to the questions on Occupancy. Occupancy is stated in terms of "Available" rooms at any given time that can be "Occupied" by a guest. 100 rooms available to sell, you sell 50, your at 50%. Further, while indeed there is obviously a daily occupancy, it doesn't mean much in way of context for a measurable statistic that one can evaluate. So, hotels are more concerned with their monthly and annual year to date Occupnacy. Clearly based on arrival and departure patterns of guest certain days of the week are much lower than others but this is already identified as a trend and anticipated as such. So, you can't go into a hotel on any given night and say it's a ghost town so it's not 50% that's not what they were insinuating but rather Its 50% over a measurable time frame which most likely stated from back in April when they opened and their rolling average from there.
Next, Very simple point. Melia is not part of Baha Mar and is run and managed as its own entity, while it's the same owner, one has nothing to do with the other, not marketed as such, and no associated benefits, nor measurable numbers are related. Melia runs on its own business model being all inclusive. It's like any other hotel owner who owns separate hotels.
Talking about SLS and Rosewood at this point in regards to Occupnacy is irrelevant. It's not part of the measurable rooms as they aren't open and hence not available to sell.
So, in conclusion, the 50% referenced is only in regards the the available rooms the Hyatt has to sell, which not all are on line yet as part of the phased opening. As and example, the Hyatt will eventually have 1,800 rooms, but let's say only 700 are available to sell at this point, 50% Occupancy would imply that on average over a rolling measurable timeframe 350 are sold. Obviously some days more and some days less.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 9 months ago
Your explanation may be the industry's definition ......... but it sure doesn't help to pay our national debt
SP 6 years, 9 months ago
These People take Bahamians for smiling, black, fools, same as Perry Christie did.
Exactly 50% of WHAT is occupied?
I've personally been to Baha Mar several times and it's literally a ghost town, to say the least!
PM Dr. Hubert Minnis needs to "MAN UP" and acknowledge Sarkis is not only the best hope for rescuing Baha Mar but also the "BEST CHOICE" we have to make the entire development WHOLE in the best interest of the Bahamas AND the only way to pacify future FDI investors that the Bahamas is a safe investment jurisdiction.
PM Minnis has to "bite the bullet", and be prepared to take two steps backward in order to take one step forawrd!
BMW 6 years, 9 months ago
Can you trust a man with the last name DAVIS
sheeprunner12 6 years, 9 months ago
Are you saying that the white fella running Bahamar is Brave's half brudda???
Casino105 6 years, 9 months ago
To all who have been there, if it wasn't for the locals going to see the hotel there would be no one there. I was there last night and there were just a very small group of tourists in the hotel. The casino was empty everyone that was working was bored out of there minds. The shops that are open have no one looking in them. The restaurants were mostly filled with locals. There is nothing great about this hotel, one would think that it would match atlandtis but it's not close. Not a thing to do for the kids. In Las Vegas this would be a 3rd rate hotel. As much as I don't won't to say this, it will never survive. Everything cost too much and the value isn't there. And everyone who said the Chinese would come , wrong, there are places closer and cheaper than this. The white elephant will be there forever.
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