By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

GUESTS affected by Baha Mar’s delayed opening have been offered stays at “alternative, comparative hotels,” Robert Sands, Baha Mar’s senior vice-president of government and external affairs, said yesterday.

Mr Sands said the mega-resort has extended that option to their guests, as well as the option to rebook their stays at a time when officials feel “confident” they can “deliver the experience (guests) would expect from Baha Mar.”

He added that the $3.5 billion resort has accommodated guests with bookings and “offered them options that best met their travel needs.”

The Tribune was reliably informed that one of the alternative hotels selected by Baha Mar officials was the One&Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island, however Mr Sands would not confirm or deny this.

Nor would officials at the Ocean Club comment when contacted.

“We accommodated guests who booked and offered them options that best met their travel needs,” Mr Sands told The Tribune. “We appreciated the understanding of all of our guests, and look forward to welcoming them soon to enjoy Baha Mar.

“We offered stays at alternative, comparative hotels, or an opportunity to rebook their stay, when we feel confident we can deliver the experience they would expect from Baha Mar.”

Mr Sands subsequently declined to give the names of the hotels Baha Mar officials had designated.

“We are not going to disclose that information,” he said yesterday.

Last week, Mr Sands said all guests affected by Baha Mar’s delayed opening would be compensated and considered VIP’s.

He said re-booking packages would be offered to guests who were scheduled to visit the West Bay Street resort, but ended up having to either cancel their trips or rearrange travel plans.

That came after more than 200 people, most of whom said they had made reservations to stay at the mega-resort, took to Baha Mar’s official Facebook page last week to criticise the property for its late notice over the opening delay.

Some said the news compromised their vacation plans while others expressed disappointment about having to learn about the delay “secondhand, through Facebook,” as opposed to a formal notification from the resort.

However, Mr Sands at the time pledged that the resort would do “everything” they could to “correct the situation.”

On Tuesday of last week, Baha Mar announced that its highly anticipated March 27 opening had been delayed to “early May” due to ongoing construction work.

Baha Mar said the delay was due to the performance of the lead contractor, whose work at the property was not acceptable and failed to meet Baha Mar’s “standards of excellence”.

Baha Mar said it had relied on statements from its construction manager and lead contractor when it previously announced the March 27 opening date.

That came four days after Mr Sands said only one hotel, the Baha Mar Hotel and Casino, along with that hotel’s core amenities, entertainment and recreation areas would open to guests on March 27.

He also said that public spaces at the mega-resort’s three other hotels – SLS LUX, Rosewood, and Grand Hyatt – also would be open on March 27 and that those hotel rooms would “come online shortly after”.

The resort’s contractor China Construction America (CCA) Bahamas released a statement last week saying Baha Mar’s criticism was “wholly inappropriate”.

The resort was initially expected to open last December.