By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE assurances by Baha Mar CEO Sarkis Izmirlian that the $3.5bn luxury mega-resort would officially open soon, several pre-booked guests have claimed they were told that all reservations until August 31 have been cancelled.

They have criticised hotel management on a leading travel review website, TripAdvisor, for ruining their vacations. The guests also claim they were offered unsatisfactory alternative accommodations and not compensated enough for their losses.

Meanwhile, Robert “Sandy” Sands, Baha Mar’s senior vice-president of external and governmental affairs, could not confirm an opening date for the resort. He said this was still being discussed with Baha Mar advisors.

He spoke to The Tribune following a meeting with Prime Minister Perry Christie and Mr Izmirlian yesterday to discuss issues surrounding Baha Mar’s repeated delays, a source confirmed.

“We are having ongoing discussions with advisors and we have not announced the date of the grand opening,” Mr Sands told The Tribune yesterday. “We have not set a date yet and we are dealing with each guest individually in terms of meeting their individual needs.”

The Tribune visited Baha Mar’s website to find the earliest available date for booking accommodations was September 8. 

On another travel booking website, Expedia, only one hotel brand, the Rosewood at Baha Mar, was available at the earliest in June. The other brands, the Grant Hyatt, the SLS Lux and Baha Mar’s Casino and Hotel, showed a “sold out” status for July through to the month of August. There was no advisory on Expedia to warn potential visitors of Baha Mar’s opening delays.

Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said yesterday his ministry had taken note of the “negative press” the delayed opening has sparked. He said it was important to have damage control in place with a view to counteracting any potential fallout.

However, he admitted that much of the speculation over the resort’s success is based on the inability of officials to pin down an opening date and actually meet the timeline.

“We have noticed the comments on the internet,” Mr Wilchcome said. “And it is unfortunate that such a huge project continues to get negative press because it really does not help the situation. Mr Izmirlian has just returned from meeting with officials in China and the Chinese construction company. We are hoping that they were able to arrive at some kind of resolution.”

Mr Wilchcombe said while the work was continuing, he stressed that there was a need for a clearer timeline.

Guests have their say

The lack of a timeline and poor communication has elicited fierce criticism from scores of potential tourists who said they planned months ahead for their vacations.

One TripAdvisor user “Beachbum878” said it was their intention to visit the resort for Mother’s Day. However they were never notified that Baha Mar would not meet its opening date.

“So extremely disappointed. Booked four nights at the Baha Mar Grand Hyatt from May 10-14 for Mother’s Day and our daughter’s first birthday. Never received the ‘mass email’ that was sent out and called to request a crib in our room to find out the hotel was not going to be open!” the user wrote.

“I then spent nearly two hours on the phone with Baha Mar and Travelocity trying to rectify the matter. Baha Mar was not helpful and insisted there was nothing they could do and I needed to contact Travelocity as the room was booked with them.

“The only compensation I was offered was to stay at a dated hotel with free food (all inclusive). I am sorry but I did not book this vacation to eat until my heart is content and have lower grade amenities at a resort not compatible with the Grand Hyatt. After inquiring about the Reef or Cove, I was told we would needed to pay an additional $1,000!!

“It should be noted, we are travelling with our infant and chose the Baha Mar as it’s brand new and want a clean and new environment for our little one who is toddling around, not a dated hotel room.”

The user went on to lash out at officials for having a “double standard” in offering accommodations to guests.

“There should not be a double standard allowed, offering some guests to stay at the Cove and newer hotels, also offering them to come back complimentary once the Baha Mar is open and then offering other guests lower grade hotels or telling them they need to pay more money!

“The matter has yet to be rectified as I spent an hour and fifty minutes on the phone with Travelocity and was placed on hold for the latter 35 minutes, resulting in me disconnecting. Baha Mar, you have truly brought disappointment.”

Another user, Allyson H, said she and her family were very disappointed about the setback. She posted that they were advised on April 20 that all reservations would be cancelled to August 31, 2015.

She said: “I actually feel badly for the management and staff at the Baha Mar. Those employees have families to feed, so I’m sure they are dying to get busy working.

“We had reservations for July 2015, but was told by management today that they are indeed cancelling all reservations through August 31, 2015. Yes, we are very disappointed, to say the least. There is nothing comparable on the island – including the Atlantis. We will plan our vacation elsewhere and hopefully make it back to the Grand Hyatt next year. I wish them the best. Obviously, they didn’t plan this huge setback and major headache.”

Another user posted that he was having a hard time understanding why Baha Mar would accept reservations if there was uncertainty surrounding the opening.

“I booked two nights at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar for June 2015 back in January. At that time, the opening date for the hotel was advertised for March, so I figured that there wouldn’t be any problems for a June reservation.

“Well, I was wrong. I received an email from Hyatt saying that they wouldn’t be able to honour the reservation because the hotel wouldn’t be open in time. I was given the option to reschedule with Hyatt paying for my flight change fees, stay at Atlantis (although apparently there weren’t any rooms available the weekend I was originally scheduled to go), or cancel altogether with my flights reimbursed and 20K Hyatt points per night as compensation.”

He added: “I ended up cancelling, but I still don’t understand why they would accept reservations if they knew they wouldn’t be able to honour them. I have to say that if I decide to go on vacation to the Bahamas, the Grand Hyatt is definitely not one of the places I’ll be looking at. If they can’t get a hotel to open on time, I have my doubts about their ability to actually run the place.”

Delayed openings

Baha Mar was initially expected to open last December but that date was delayed.

In January, the resort said it would open its doors to paying customers on March 27. Three days before that date, hotel officials announced that the opening had been delayed again to early May due to ongoing construction work. 

In a statement, Baha Mar also criticised the performance of the lead contractor, revealing that work at the property had not met “standards of excellence” and was not acceptable.

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

The government has long touted Baha Mar’s opening as a key component of the country’s economic rebound. The resort is expected to create 5,000 permanent jobs.