Construction on China-owned resort in Bahamas under way
http://www.travelweekly.comBaha Mar, billed as the largest single-phase resort development in the Caribbean, on Thursday drove the first of 5,700 pilings to mark the beginning of construction in the Cable Beach area of Nassau, Bahamas.
During the ceremony, a commemorative Baha Mar coin was embedded in the piling for good luck.
The $3.4 billion, 1,000-acre, six-resort complex is slated to open in late 2014.
Groundbreaking on the project took place in February, but roads had to be routed and several existing buildings on the site removed before construction could commence.
"With the start of construction, Baha Mar continues on its planned timeline to deliver the largest resort community presently under construction in North America," said Don Robinson, Baha Mar president.
He described the project as "vital to the economy of the Bahamas, one which will go a long way to help address the current economic challenges facing the country."
The Export-Import Bank of China, which is owned by the Chinese government, is financing Baha Mar. It the bank's first venture in an international hospitality project.
The China State Construction Engineering Corp., also 100% owned by the Chinese government, is building Baha Mar. Several thousand Chinese workers will work alongside as many as 4,000 Bahamian workers over the life of the construction period, according to Robinson.
Camps are being built to house the Chinese workers as part of a large village with shops and recreational activities for the workers.
When completed, Baha Mar will include 3,500 hotel rooms and condominium units, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, a 20-acre beach-and-pool complex; a 60,000-square-foot retail village; and a casino.
The empty Nassau Beach Hotel and one tower of the adjacent Wyndham Nassau Resort & Crystal Palace Casino will be removed to make room for the pools and allow beach access.
Morgans Hotel Group will operate a 300-room lifestyle hotel, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts a 200-room luxury hotel and Hyatt Hotels & Resorts a 700-room convention hotel plus 50 timeshare units. There will be a casino hotel, too, but no operator has been named.
Two hotels already are open: the 694-room Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort and the 559-room Wyndham.
During the ceremony, a commemorative Baha Mar coin was embedded in the piling for good luck.
The $3.4 billion, 1,000-acre, six-resort complex is slated to open in late 2014.
Groundbreaking on the project took place in February, but roads had to be routed and several existing buildings on the site removed before construction could commence. "With the start of construction, Baha Mar continues on its planned timeline to deliver the largest resort community presently under construction in North America," said Don Robinson, Baha Mar president.
He described the project as "vital to the economy of the Bahamas, one which will go a long way to help address the current economic challenges facing the country."
The Export-Import Bank of China, which is owned by the Chinese government, is financing Baha Mar. It the bank's first venture in an international hospitality project.
The China State Construction Engineering Corp., also 100% owned by the Chinese government, is building Baha Mar. Several thousand Chinese workers will work alongside as many as 4,000 Bahamian workers over the life of the construction period, according to Robinson.
Camps are being built to house the Chinese workers as part of a large village with shops and recreational activities for the workers.
When completed, Baha Mar will include 3,500 hotel rooms and condominium units, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, a 20-acre beach-and-pool complex; a 60,000-square-foot retail village; and a casino.
The empty Nassau Beach Hotel and one tower of the adjacent Wyndham Nassau Resort & Crystal Palace Casino will be removed to make room for the pools and allow beach access.
Morgans Hotel Group will operate a 300-room lifestyle hotel, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts a 200-room luxury hotel and Hyatt Hotels & Resorts a 700-room convention hotel plus 50 timeshare units. There will be a casino hotel, too, but no operator has been named.
Two hotels already are open: the 694-room Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort and the 559-room Wyndham.
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