NEW Baha Mar Resort - Nassau Bahamas
Nassau’s $3.5 billion Baha Mar Resort Reaches “Pre-Opening” Phase
By Brian Major
October 09, 2013 7:09 PM
The $3.5 billion Baha Mar resort is two-thirds-complete and has officially reached the “pre-opening” phase, said Sarkis Izmirlian, the resort’s CEO, who provided New York media with an update on the massive Bahamian developmentWednesday.
Scheduled to open in December 2014, Baha Mar recently hired managers for each of the 3.3 million-square-foot project’s four major hotels: the 1,000-room Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, 200-room Rosewood at Baha Mar, 300-room Mondrian at Baha Mar and 700-room Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar, Izmirlian said.
The product of years-long discussions with the Bahamasgovernment to develop a new resort on the site of the shuttered Radisson Cable Beach resort, Baha Mar is designed to be “the ultimate getaway destination for affluent travelers,” said Izmirlian, and will transform the Bahamas’ capital city’s image among travelers.
“Nassau is not necessarily considered a luxury travel destination,” he said. “It is known for beautiful beaches and blue waters, but inconsistent service. But Nassau is being transformed with Baha Mar.” The resort development includes new infrastructure around the resort property and nearby areas of Nassau, including new roads, drainage systems, pedestrian walkways and natural scenic wetlands.
The project is estimated to add $1 billion to the country’s economy in its first year following the opening and support 12,000 direct and indirect jobs for Bahamian in the next 20 years, said Izmirlian. “The Bahamian people welcomed the project. The cost represents 12 percent of the country’s economy and we have created opportunities to hire 5,000 Bahamians,” he said. Baha Mar has opened a training center and recruitment office and is partnering with high schools and community colleges in the region to recruit and train hospitality workers.
The resort operators have worked with major international airlines to expand airlift in anticipation of the project’s opening. “You can’t swim to the Bahamas or drive a car,” Izmirlian said. “We have had conversations with airlines from the beginning. Not just U.S. airlines, but foreign carriers.” Baha Mar officials have reached agreements to establish new flights from Russia, China and Latin America along with new flights from Jet Blue and from Chicago and other Midwest cities from Delta Airlines and other carriers