The Tribune

Grand Bahama’s Pelican Bay resort plans to complete the renovation of half its room inventory by mid-March 2019 after investing $4m to finish 45 units in time for Christmas.

Management and staff hosted a customer appreciation and new room viewing evening for their large volume clients last week, honouring a market segment that has driven the record numbers experienced by Pelican Bay over the past two years.

“We really wanted to express our thanks to our corporate bookers for the business they have sent us over the past two years and, we hope, the business they will send us in the future,” said Magnus Alnebeck, Pelican Bay’s general manager.

“We now have 45 beautiful rooms that have been totally renovated by local contractors with new bathrooms, new air conditioning units, new technology and new furniture, which will be in use for Christmas. Our goal is to then work on another 42 rooms with a mid-March 2019 deadline, expecting to have half of the hotel renovated.”

Following the damage inflicted by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, Pelican Bay scheduled planned repairs that were effected by Bahamian companies YellowFin Construction, as the lead contractor, and FRECON, which executed minor hurricane repairs.

During that time, the property continued to operate with a large percentage of room bookings coming from Bahamian and new businesses coming to the island.

“Our corporate sector is doing very well,” explained Mr Alnebeck. “We decided to invest our repair funds and profits right back into the property. The renovated rooms have not been changed since 1996. Some minor work was done to the rooms over the years, but this time they were completely gutted and totally re-done.”

The rooms have been transformed into a modern but comfortable décor encompassing both European and island themes. Some $4m has been invested to create subtle but impactful changes.

“We know that our guests come to The Bahamas to enjoy things that are distinctly Bahamian, and we wanted them to have that authentic island experience from the moment that they check in to their hotel rooms,” said Pelican Bay operations manager, Della Bridgewater.

“We value our corporate and leisure guests. We want our new décor to be an addition to our visitors’ experience at the hotel. We appreciate every room reservation booked. Pelican Bay has built a great corporate culture with our local, domestic and international guests; they have sustained us and have really contributed to our bottom line.”