St Lucia hoping for 2,000 new hotel rooms over next four years
CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – St Lucia Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee Monday said that an estimated 2,000 new hotel rooms will be established here over the next four years as a result of new properties being constructed.
So far this year, the Royalton Saint Lucia Resort and Spa has opened its doors with 455 rooms and the Serenity Villas has also unveiled its 36 luxury villas and the Harbour Club is to open in September with 117 rooms.
Fedee told a news conference that work will begin on the Fairmont Saint Lucia Resort in Choiseul, south-west of here, in September this year. “This resort will be a unique space that integrates local nature, a low-rise building complex and a wide range of recreational facilities. The hotel will include 120-five-star hotel rooms, 37 villas, three restaurants, a spa, commercial areas for local producers and traders and three swimming pools.”
Fedee said the Reduit beach, will be redeveloped and will become the home of a luxury five-star dual branded hotel called Curio by Hilton.
“This property will be built where the Rex Resorts was previously located. The Curio by Hilton will feature 500 luxury rooms; 350 rooms assigned to the Hilton and 150 assigned to the Curio by Hilton.
“Work on this property will begin within the last quarter of 2017. The tourism minister also announced that work should commence on the Honeymoon Bay Resort very soon.
“This resort will consist of two hotels; the first is a 250 room five-star luxury, family all-inclusive hotel and the second is an 80-room, five-star luxury hotel. This resort will feature an 18-hole golf course and clubhouse and a museum.”
He said the Dubai-based Range Developments has signed an agreement with the St Lucia government to acquire the Black Bay lands in Vieux Fort, south of here to develop it into an integrated master planned luxury touristic community.
The Black Bay Master Development will consist of a luxury branded hotel and villas with other amenities set on 180 acres on the southern tip of the island. The hotel is expected to have 180 rooms.
“Initial site works are expected to commence in the fourth of quarter of 2017 or the first quarter of 2018 and the hotel is expected to be complete by the end of 2020,” Fedee said, announcing also that Sandals Resorts International has confirmed plans to add a fourth resort here offering an additional 350 rooms.
Fedee told a news conference that eight fishing villages will be transformed into unique tourism villages based on their attributes and strengths.
“These villages will be uniquely themed and development plans will be established in a participatory manner which address the villages’ infrastructure, culinary assets, architecture and capacity,”? he added.