Heavy investment in hotels

Over the next four years as much as US $1 billion will be spent on new and refurbished hotel plants.

 

Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), William Griffith, said that projection has come from the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc., which has also indicated that investment will see an additional 2 300-rooms come on stream, a 20 per cent increase in the accommodation currently available on the island. 

 

He told journalists yesterday morning during a media breakfast at the Hilton Hotel, that so far in 2016, Sugar Bay – the former Amaryllis Hotel  – has been refurbished and reopened; and the Waves Hotel and Spa, now part of the Elegant Hotel brand, has also recently reopened.

 

“Sands Hotel which was formerly Sandy Beach is under construction and it is anticipated that they will add further rooms early in 2017; and as we all know, Sandals Barbados was opened with just under 200 rooms at the beginning of 2015, and they are currently adding an additionally 222 rooms and those rooms are expected to be completed by winter of 2017. So Sandals Barbados will literally be doubling in size within the next 14 months,” he indicated.

 

Also expected to come on stream during the next few years, Griffith said, is Sam Lord’s Castle, where a new Wyndham Grand hotel is to be built. He said that there was a groundbreaking in June this year with the view of having construction completed and the hotel ready to open by 2018. Griffith pointed out that the hotel will boast 450 rooms and is expected to be a signature hotel in the Wyndham Grand brand.

 

Touching also on the upcoming festivals and events which will be used to help market destination Barbados, he highlighted that 2017 will be designated the Year of Sports. In that vein, he indicated that the Run Barbados event, which will celebrate its 33rd anniversary this year, is the perfect activity on which to push that agenda. Griffith explained that there have been over 

280 overseas entrants participating in those five races, and they expect growth of well over 20 per cent in overseas visitors coming just for that event. The theme for that weekend is “Come for the Run and Stay for the Fun”.

 

He made the disclosure as he noted that the intention is to brand November as the Culinary Month, and have a number of activities staged throughout that period. Griffith made the comments just moments before he revealed that the Food, Wine and Rum Festival held in November is being rebranded to the Food and Rum Festival and will be launched next Tuesday. Additionally, he said plans are also on stream to launch a Barbados Restaurant Week to highlight all the restaurants on the island. 

 

(JRT)