The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net 

The Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island marked Labour Day by opening its doors to contractors, vendors, community organisations and other partners whose support helped bring the development from concept to reality.

Philip Simon, president of Royal Caribbean’s Paradise Island Beach Club, described the event as both a celebration of Labour Day and an opportunity to recognise those who contributed to the project's development.

"This is a special day. It's an exciting day," said Mr Simon. "We have been planning this for a very long time. We wanted to do it earlier in the year, but it was a little too cold at that point, so we pushed it back."

He added: "This is the perfect day. It is Labour Day, but it's also a holiday, and we chose today to celebrate the journey that has been the Royal Beach Club."

Mr Simon said the event brought together a wide cross-section of stakeholders involved in the project, from construction and architecture firms to marine operators, landscapers and technology providers.

"To get to this point, we received tremendous support from our contractors, vendors and partners," he said.

"We took this opportunity to invite all of them, along with our community partners such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Centre, government representatives and members of the diplomatic community."

The Royal Caribbean executive said the finished product has met the company's expectations and stands apart because of its deliberate emphasis on Bahamian culture.

"Amazing. I think we accomplished, in terms of product delivery, everything we set out to accomplish," said Mr Simon.

"As you look around, you'll see we've been very deliberate in infusing Bahamian art, culture and craftsmanship into this development, and I believe that's what sets it apart from anything else of this scale in The Bahamas."

He also reported growing local interest in the attraction since its opening.

"The numbers are growing," said Mr Simon. "We've only recently opened, but local attendance has been steadily increasing. We're now into the hundreds."

He said the beach club's online booking platform has generated strong interest from residents seeking venues for birthdays, family outings and corporate events.

"It's summertime, and we've been receiving a lot of interest from companies and individuals who want to celebrate birthdays, vacations and corporate beach days," he said. "We encourage persons to contact us as soon as possible because availability will eventually become limited."

Mr Simon added that the facility is capable of accommodating between 3,500 and 4,000 guests at a time, providing significant capacity for both cruise visitors and local patrons.