The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A prominent Nassau resort is expanding its wine cellar to add more private dining options.

Roberta Garzaroli, Graycliff's general manager, told Tribune Business the property will be adding an annex to its wine cellar that will allow for more private dining for patrons. The room that is being converted, known as the Hibiscus room, is regularly frequented by prominent Bahamians and visitors alike.

“We decided to keep the name, but all we are doing is just adding it on to the wine cellar to provide more options for private dining," she said. Graycliff already has a private dining area in its wine cellar, but due to the “increased demand” for more space it has decided to convert the Hibiscus room into an annex to the wine cellar.

Ms Garzaroli added: “It’s amazing that post-COVID people have been loving the private spaces and don’t mind paying.” The existing private room typically costs $1,000 to book, excluding food, drink and gratuities. “We had a group in last week that spent $15,000 for the evening," she recalled.

Meanwhile, the Graycliff “Experiences” are going smoothly with demand for the series tracking solidly. “We have the chocolate factory and the cigar factory, and tours are offered daily. The chocolate factory does three interactive classes a day, and one chocolate and spirits activity similar to the experiences tour, where you pair different spirits with different chocolates," Ms Garzaroli said.

“For the Experiences, it kind of ebbs and flows. We have the majority right now as tourists doing the activities, but then we do have some locals coming to do the activities. This is the first lull we have had post-COVID. Granted, it was slow coming, because The Bahamas was just now reopening, but it was steady going. Some of our staff weren't able to take vacations where we were so busy.

“It was a good problem to have but we know they needed their break. We hired some new people and we are looking to hire a few more people.”\