The government has pulled the plug on the Canadian investors in Black Sands Resort at Peter’s Hope, which remains incomplete eight years after the groundbreaking ceremony, and seven years after the first phase was to have been completed.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves made the announcement on radio recently, saying also that Sandal Resorts International will construct a US$375 million, 375-room resort at Peter’s Hope.
The development comes even as Minister of Tourism, Carlos James, said in September 2023 that the government had given the investor, PACE Developments, a further three years to complete the project.
“… we’re going to sign an agreement with Sandals for the Beaches — 375 rooms; US$375 million,” Gonsalves said in his recent comments on radio.
“Everything goes normal. They should be open by the end of 2027. Because it’s Beaches, their family brand, you’re going to need four employees, four workers for each key — 375 keys. Some rooms are two bedrooms; some more. That’s 14-, 1,500 workers you need permanently,” the prime minister said.
“Then we are going to finalise the agreement with the investors, with Marriott over at Peters Hope,” he said.
“… we have informed the current developers there, PACE, that we want to bring that relationship to an end since it hasn’t moved as fast as we had anticipated.”
The prime ministers said PACE has had challenges, including the COVID pandemic and the volcanic eruptions of April 2021 and “all sorts of other things.
“And we are, at the moment, doing the appraisal, and we will purchase — that’s our intention, to purchase what is there and move with this new development for the Marriott.
“It’s 300 rooms. They’ll need 600 workers. So those two hotels alone on that side of the island, you talk about 2,000 workers, additional. Of course, people from all over St. Vincent and the Grenadines will go there and work. But the people in South Leeward, Central Leeward and North Leeward, Kingstown, everywhere,” the prime minister said.
At the groundbreaking ceremony in February 2017, Joseph Romano of PACE Developments told iWitness News that the company had about half of the $60 million that the construction of the project was expected to cost.
He said that the project was “self-financed for now”, adding, “There is no mortgage on the property. Cash was paid and we have a large chunk to start the service.”
The Gonsalves government sold PACE Developments 36 acres of land in the former agricultural estate for EC$7 million for the construction of the resort.
As part of the deal, the investor had to construct the resort within a specified period of time or lose their alien landholder’s permit.
In September 2019, the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Marriott International signed a deal for the management of a state-owned hotel, with Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves noting that the hotel chain was experienced in managing resorts on black sand beaches.
The Marriott Hotel will be constructed at Mt Wynne, on the western coast of St. Vincent, 11 miles from Kingstown and 22 miles from Argyle International Airport.
The Ralph Gonsalves government has borrowed US$50 million to build the 250-room hotel, which will be located on the seafront of a former plantation, in an area characterised by gently sloping fertile lands.
Information from the opening ceremony said it would employ 250 to 300 persons, who Bojan Kumer, Marriott International’s vice president for hotel development — Caribbean and Latin America, said, would have a tremendous opportunity to grow their professional careers and employ the world.
Speaking in Colonarie on Saturday, the prime minister said the Sandals hotel in Mt Wynne will employ 1,500 people and the Marriott at Peter’s Hope will provide between 500 and 600 jobs.
“So between those two hotels alone, you’re going to require around 2,000 workers,” Gonsalves said.
“You hear me? Already, we are finding it difficult to get workers to do the jobs which are there. There is going to be more and more jobs for people.”
Elections is coming!!! What nah happen in 4.5 years will happen in months 😒
They think we foolish and thung they smart. Mr man go home and rest.
Wow!!!! Just like am reading a fictional novel
Excuse my language 😭😭😤😭 what a load of Bollocks worst thing is some will easily fall for the bullshit coming from outta their mouths, but remember us Vincy love free and promises, and yes Election coming so all kinda bull…… And freeness handouts going to be happening..But seriously 😒 apologies for the bad language, I must learn to express my thoughts in a more calm and professional manner….. Lol 🤣
Will this even get published ??
The government’s narrative appears inconsistent and raises questions about transparency and accountability. Despite granting PACE Developments a three-year extension in 2023, the abrupt termination of their agreement, citing delays while ignoring the government’s own role in permitting those extensions, suggests shifting priorities rather than genuine concern for timely development. The sudden pivot to Sandals and Marriott, with grandiose job promises, feels politically convenient, especially given the long history of unmet deadlines and unfulfilled pledges in St. Vincent’s tourism sector. The lack of clarity around financial arrangements—such as how the US$50 million Marriott loan will be repaid—further undermines trust in the government’s handling of these projects.
Moreover, the emphasis on job creation seems overly optimistic, if not misleading. Past projects, like Argyle International Airport, failed to deliver promised economic benefits, yet the government repeats the same rhetoric. The dismissal of PACE’s challenges, COVID-19, volcanic eruptions, as excuses, while using those same factors to justify other delays, reveals the double standard. The fact that PACE initially claimed self-financing and no debt, yet still failed, hints at deeper mismanagement, possibly on both sides. The government’s eagerness to replace local investors with multinational chains like Sandals and Marriott risks ceding long-term economic control to foreign entities, raising concerns about sustainable development versus short-term political gains.
No painting of the buildings this time around? The desperation of the government is on overdrive.
dem know poor people gullible, teking advantage of people poverty state
I attended the groundbreaking ceremony in February 2017 and knew immediately that this project would fail, as so many other projects like the Ottley Hall shipyard have failed over the years, and will continue to fail going forward based on what should by now be an incontestable assertion that our country has a very low potential for substantial economic development.