The Hilton or Marriott hotel chains might not be interested in building a hotel in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
However, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves wants his critics to show him where they are building new establishments.
Gonsalves told a press conference in Kingstown last Thursday that his government had brought in hotel operators like Hilton and Marriott “to see the lay of the land.
“I hear people say Hilton and Marriott will never build hotels in St. Vincent.
“They building hotels anywhere?” Gonsalves said.
“The model now for entities like Hilton and Marriott is for you to engage them, you get architects with whom they work, you build it and they brand it and or manage it. Here and there, they may do one or two, but, their model now is branding and managing.”
He said that the Barbados Hilton is owned by that country’s government but is branded and managed by Hilton, as is the case with the Trinidad Hyatt.
“So when people don’t know things and the internet crazies get on and they talk all these things, they talk so much rubbish. They don’t understand the simplest thing about these things and they run their mouth off.
“We have beautiful lands at Mt Wynne, Peters hope and other parts of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Gonsalves said.
His comments came as he spoke about hotel development in SVG.
The prime minster said he would be disappointed if Buccament Bay Resort does not re-open by December 2018.
The hotel has been closed since December 2016, when the state-owned electricity disconnected its electricity supply for non-payment.
Ahead of the closure, workers had been protesting for weeks over the non-payment of wages and salaries.
Gonsalves also said last week that his government has secured a loan to help finance the building of a hotel in Mt Wynne.
. and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts that Bumptious Boy Beache said would be breaking ground in 2015??? Said just before elections.
The Hilton might not be building branded hotels, but it is building midscale brands [Hampton Inn etc.] and the Marriott [as of June ’17,] had 200 luxury hotels the development pipeline… That said,the PM is engaging in obfuscation! The paradigm of developing a vibrant tourist industry is clearly not understood by the people involved,so why hasn’t a cadre recent graduates been scuttled off to institutions of higher learning in the markets we wish to attract,then build[ infrastructure and program plans] from there?
Marriott stopped building and started selling nearly all of its hotels during the 1990s and only manages or lends its logo to all the properties that bear its name.
What is not “crazy” is to say:
1. Hardly any hotels in the Caribbean, except for Cuba, are owned by the government and rightly so because a government has no business being in the hotel business.
2. Even in Cuba, the government had been transferring all management and up 49 percent of ownership to the private sector.
3. Government ownership of hotels has been mired in secrecy wherever it has occurred in the Caribbean with the public not even being told whether the owned properties are profitable or not.
4. The Barbados Hilton has been for sale for years.
5. The Trinidad Hilton was allowed to deteriorate for decades under government ownership until refurbishment began several years ago.
6. The only reason the government plans to fund the building of a hotel at Mt. Wynne is because no private entity is willing to do so despite the decades-long attempt to sell of all the lands there to hospitality developers. All we have to show for trying to peddle the lands is the presence of a relatively small and unknown Canadian builder of residential units.
7. The beauty of Mt. Wynne is insufficient to make it a prime area for hotel development because tourists crave miles of white sand beaches and shallow, shimmering acquamarine inshore waters.
8. Buccament Bay Resort won’t re-open this year because of all the wrangling among the thousands of owners of the resort.
It is the Honourable Prime Minister who pretends not to understand “the simplest thing about these things” [the hospitality industry] but he runs his mouth off nevertheless.
Given that Buccament Bay Resort is in dept and may not be able to opened, the Government of SVG should purchase that property, so at least it can be owned by the country. Buccament is an amazing resort, it will be sad to see it go to waste. If they cannot even help out a Resort that is already there, do you think getting a Hilton Brand will make any difference it can end up like Buccament..Why securing a loan to help finance a new hotel, when a new hospital is needed. We have a great airport, meaning more visitors… figure out the rest 🙂
There is no single owner to buy the resort from but thousands of owners and other claims that would have to be satisfied in a process that would take years to years to resolve according the Resorts trustee.
Government ownership? Bad idea! This,and any government hasn’t the wherewithal to run anything efficiently! Admittedly, it would be a waste not to have usage,however, that path forward should be conglomerate of local investors…
There is something inherently wrong with the planners on the island-to the point of being annoying! When are they[the government] going to understand that having an international airport does NOT translate into a vibrant tourist industry in the short term! Such an endeavor requires years of planning,and it is safe to say that the prevailing information does not support that notion of preparedness.
We need expert hotel designers that seek to create an aura of luxury,but in the context of the island’s offering, with an eye on cost! We also need trained individuals who understand the psychology of the prospect demographics. This is important,as it exposes what drive their desires for specific destinations…This then leads to areas selected for development of roads, emergency centers,entertainment and trained personnel, not to the marketing efforts… My friends, this can be done, and I am unsure of the scale,but as previously mentioned,it requires laser like planning!
So Barbados Hilton is by the government great news we’re glad to hear that because it shows the darm incompetence of our government and by the way may I also say greed has a lot to d with it because as we all know as citizens over the years all those in power does is stuff their pockets and run the country to ground .Besides all that even if the Hilton or Marriots wanted to invest in SVG first and foremost MR.Prime Minister please clean the darm shanty town ,we dnt even have a darm capital anymore it’s become a shanty town,I’m never returning to svg unless its clean ,yall leaders too Blind to darm well lead,I’M PISSED at the way yall have our Vincent Ian looking and living like we’re in such poverty.And yall citizens too ,learn to cleanup the darm place yall selves and stop this bull crap building of those Lil so call huts wanna be shops/sheds all over the capital go in the darm market for crying out loud .MAD AT YALL TOO YALL CAUSING DISGRACE TO YALL SELVES AND OTHERS.
This is where the opposition is always asleep at the wheels, why don’t they go out into the international arena and source investors who are willing to build resorts and hotels on the mainland and in the Grenadines. Once they have received such Blueprints they can expound on these proposals to the people. There are great opportunities for job creation in the hospitality industry. Wake up NDP.
The NDP recently had their convention at the Greggs Primary school, of all the leaders present, no mention of hotel development. The NDP’s primary focus on critiquing the Gonsalves led ULP. They are lazy, seldom research, often times they caught with their (pants) down, politically speaking. They ought to position themselves to move into the corridors of power. Take for instance, Mount Wynne Peter’s Hope hotel development, the project is in high gear. Majority of workmen from the surrounding areas. Architects/lawyers/contractors, locals. The models are gorgeous. View them on Mr Fitz Huggins Facebook.
Stay tuned, government soon construct a 250 room hotel at Mount Wynne. They are hoping to start during the first quarter 2019.
Is it safe to say that those who have found work on the project are ULP supporters? I digress to say that it is my hope that they have employed and executing a marketing strategy prior to having “broken ground!…” And, suffice it to say, there are many lessons to be gleaned from the AIA!
Foolish argument Riijord. Supporters on both sides were employed at the Buccuma Bay Resort. The Resort would soon be up and running. Sir, at the end of the day all of us are Vincentians. Work on the Black Sands Resort are being carried out by (Pace Development Canada). Amidst these positives, the NDP is weak. No more waiting, date has been set for the opening of Georgetown Modern Medical Complex, July 2nd 2018. Not forgetting the Modern Port Kingstown, Acute Medical Complex Arnos Vale, including the transformation of Arnos Vale into a modern city. These are ambitious projects, who knows, the ULP may not be in office to complete them.
The ULP is great at spending money we do not have. In other words they are borrowing from future generations. Any fool can spend money. We should not cheer-on our own bankruptcy. Maybe the NDP should propose to build a bridge from the main island to Union Island at a cost of around 200 Billion US$. Then even more people would support the NDP. Vincentians love for the government to waste its money and thereby they vote for thier own poverty. For Vincentians, the NDP are too boring. They want to build a hospital and fix the roads. Instead of fixing Kingstown they should propose building a new Kingstown in Campden Park or Edinboro. We love our wasteful spending!
Observer; Kindly observe that you have your tenses and subjects are misplaced! To be clear: I referred to the Black Sands, and who might likely to be working there. You,however, mentioned who worked at the BB Resorts…Naturally, the owners of the latter would have been apolitical,hence, supporters of both parties would have found work…
Riijord, Observer does not know what you are talking about, the dude is a dunce.
Sorry Riijord, can’t tell, once you’re skilled worker I guess they’ll take you on board, not sure if my answer pleases you, can’t do any better.