The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

THE Island House is fully booked for the Christmas season and into the New Year as it moves to re-open its Mahogany House restaurant together with a new cocktail bar.

Lauren Holowesko- Perez, general manager of the Island House, said the resort is at 100 percent occupancy and trending to remain that way until the end of January.

She said: “It’s been a really long two years, trying to pivot and adapt to now recover from the effects of the pandemic. I know everyone’s been through it, and the toll it’s taken on the tourism industry. Specifically, in this case on our team, we have overcome numerous obstacles to bring together this team.”

Along with the re-opening of the renamed Mahogany House restaurant (see story HERE), the property is also unveiling a cocktail bar called the Yellow Bill that opened three weeks prior to the restaurant re-opening.

Ms Holowesko-Perez said: “It gives a little bit of a nightlife to the property that was missing before. So, now from three until midnight, we have a really fun bar menu. You can sit and have more of a tapas-style experience, sharing dish experience, with really elegant craft cocktails, and then obviously live music throughout the week.”

All staff have returned to work, with the Island House boasting 120-plus employees and the restaurant some 55 Bahamian staff, not including expatriates.

Ms Holowesko-Perez said: “I think there’s a comfort and familiarity to Mahogany House. It’s kind of a nice environment for families, and it’s still an approachable price point, which I think is really key.

“I think that’s one of the key metrics we want to get across, but we kind of pride ourselves on the fact that it’s approachable for everybody.”