By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

An $11 million Eleuthera resort project will be branded by Marriott’s high-end Autograph Collection, its principal telling Tribune Business he hoped its success would act as an investment “catalyst” for the island once construction was completed “in 14 months’ time”.

Lance Shaner, chief executive of Shaner (Bahamas) and the Shaner Corporation, said the long-awaited French Leave Marina Village project would likely create 30 construction jobs at “full swing”, the contract with its general contractor having been signed last week.

Shaner, which has partnered with French Leave’s original developer, Eddie Lauth, is aiming to develop 37 hotel cottages and associated amenities on a seven-and-a-half acre site near Governor’s Harbour.

Disclosing that about 30 full-time jobs will be created once French Leave Marina Village is fully operational, Mr Shaner said he expected the tie-in to Marriott’s reservations and bookings system to “bring a lot of people to Eleuthera”.

Confirming that Shaner had concluded an agreement with Eleuthera-based Brads United to act as the project’s general contractor, Mr Shaner told Tribune Business: “We’ve signed a contract to break ground, and are starting construction of the first phase. The first phase is three cottages, a restaurant, lounge, pool and bar.”

Estimating that the first phase would be completed after six-eight months of construction work, he added that Shaner planned to roll straight into building the remainder of the 37 hotel cottages.

“I think that when we get into full swing there will be about 30 people working there,” Mr Shaner told Tribune Business of the anticipated direct construction employment impact.

“We’re very excited. We are committed to building an authentic property following historical standards. We will totally respect the local plants, and there will be no bulldozing.”

Mr Shaner reiterated that the developers would “respect the greenery”, and that the project and its cottages would be “set into the land”.

Confirming that the developers planned to invest $11 million into French Leave’s development, he added that Marriott had been secured as the brand/operating partner.

Shaner has worked with Marriott on numerous resort developments in the past, and Mr Shaner revealed that French Leave would be part of its Autograph Collection - the group of high-end, independent boutique resorts it had established in 2009.

“We can’t wait until it’s all open and all done,” Mr Shaner told Tribune Business. “We’ll have a nice staff there of about 30 full-time. I hope within 14 months it’s all done. I think we can hit that.

“We have Marriott, and it’s going to be licensed with their Autograph Collection. That’s a niche, specialist, real boutique-type property.

“We’ll have that, and have the reservations with Marriott. I think that will do well, and I think we’re going to bring a lot of people to Eleuthera.”

Expanding on what French Leave will look like once operational, Mr Shaner said: “We’re going to have a dive centre, we’re going to have an area where people can pick-up fishing, surfing, that sort of stuff. We’ll offer all that there.

“We’ll have spa services, where people can make appointments, order spa services.... We’ll be restoring tennis courts, and putting in a tiki area for light lunches and drinks.”

Many Family Islands, including Eleuthera, are desperate for new investment and the jobs it will create. The French Leave project appears to be the sort of niche, boutique property cited as the correct fit for Family Island economies, and Mr Shaner said he felt its success could attract other investors to Eleuthera.

“I think it’s going to be a catalyst for other money to be invested into Eleuthera,” he told this newspaper. “We’ll show this is a success, make it an economic success, people will see that and hopefully it brings additional money to be invested there.”

The Shaner Hotel Group, which owns/operates 34 resort properties around the US and Italy, has teamed up with French Leave’s original proponent, Mr Lauth, who is now chief executive of its finance arm, Shaner Capital.

Mr Lauth signed the initial Heads of Agreement for the project with the first Christie administration back in 2003, but told Tribune Business the planned development had experienced several setbacks, including an “arduous”three-year wait for a title defect impacting 240 of its 270 acres to be cured.

Acknowledging that the past eight-nine years had tested his “perseverance”, Mr Lauth told Tribune Business: “We’re the last to get on the track, but hopefully the first to cross the line.

“We’ve had tremendous co-operation from the previous government and this government. The guys are really excited. Shaner (Bahamas) is now prepared to proceed.”

Confirming that all required government approvals were in place for the French Leave project to proceed, Mr Shaner told Tribune Business that his group may eventually look at other Bahamas-based resort projects. Its focus, though, was firmly on Eleuthera and getting this one completed right before looking elsewhere.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “If it does well we may look at more, but we are committed for the first phase.”

Mr Shaner said Governor’s Harbour Ltd, which owned the 270 acres initially earmarked for Mr Lauth’s project, had sold the seven-and-a-half acres to him for the French Leave development.

“We may do more with them depending on how it works out,” he added. Some six-and-a-half acres were on the harbour side, with the remainder set to be used for back office functions.

Alluding to his company’s long track record in the hotel industry, Mr Shaner said: “I’ve been involved with building or refurbishing 75 hotels over the last 25 years.

“I’ve built eight new Marriott hotels in Florida over the last three years. In the US, we have about 3,000 employees.”