It’s a challenge but we are working together achieving this goal of opening our doors on December 20th 2013,” said Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Chairman of the Sandals Resorts International when he provided an update on the status of the Sandals LaSource investment last Friday.
In November 2012 Sandals Resorts International, parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resort and Grand Pineapple Beach Resort announced that it purchase La Source and since then a transformation has begun of the property once owned by Liberty Club and developer Leon Taylor.
Initially, it was the desire of Butch and his team to reopen the property in December 2012 but following an inspection of the property, it was agreed that a full transformation will be better before any guest can check in at Sandals LaSource.
Stewart said that once complete the new design property will have more than 100 rooms added to the existing room counts. “Guests will have a selection of more than 200 guestrooms, private cottages and suites that will now form part of the property, and I promise you that Grenada will be getting the best mix representation all our properties,” he said.
More than EC$70 million is expected to be invested into the construction and renovation as the SRI team seek to make its latest investment be a reflection of standards within the Caribbean properties. “This project will end up being a five star and if there is a six we will head there too,” Stewart told a selection of the media and stakeholders in the travel industry during a luncheon.
“You are probably going to have the best hotel in the Caribbean,” said Stewart whose company also own properties in other Caribbean destinations including The Bahamas, Antigua, St Lucia, Turks and Caicos and Jamaica.
Heavy construction work is schedule to commence on February 15th and during the peak production period between 400 and 500 persons will be expected to gain employment. The format will be both directly working with Sandals Resort or through construction companies which will be contracted to build a five story village.
Group project/Engineer Andre McDonald said that one large firm will receive the contract for the five storey building and that company will decide the best format for construction. “It might just be a case of having its own construction team or teams or subcontracting to other smaller companies, what will be important are all of us working together to realize one goal, opening day of December 20th,” he said.
By Linda Straker