By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING his discussions yesterday with the prospective buyer for the Grand Lucayan Resort, Prime Minister Perry Christie revealed that there is an interest of increasing the initial investment to involve four well known brands in the hotel and casino operations in Grand Bahama.

Mr Christie, while speaking at the Grand Bahama Business Outlook in Freeport on Thursday morning, said that discussions held late yesterday afternoon with “the preferred bidder” was very positive, and that he was excited for the first time about potential plans for the property since it was put on the market.

The 409-acre Grand Lucayan Resort property consists of three hotels, with a combined total room capacity of 1,271. Two of the hotels are closed due to extensive damage caused by Hurricane Matthew last October.

An unsettled insurance claim continues to delay restoration of the 500-room Breaker’s Cay Hotel, and the 522-room Memories Beach Resort that was previously leased to Sunwing, which later pulled out in February over failed negotiations with the landlord, Hutchison Whampoa, regarding hurricane restoration.

The 198-room Lighthouse Pointe hotel is open, but is the smallest of the three hotels, and hundreds of hotel workers remain unemployed.

While delivering his keynote address in one of the smaller partitioned rooms of the convention centre at Grand Lucayan, Mr Christie expressed his optimism about Grand Bahama and a potential sale of the resort.

He said: “I want to make a comment about discussions as late as yesterday afternoon I had with the preferred bidder; we had a very positive teleconference with the prospective purchaser who had expanded his offer to Hutchison, increasing the scope and level of investment.

“He is now planning to involve four well-known brands in the operation of the hotels and casino. And I am speaking to it now because it has reached that stage where I can. Two major tour operators that are well-recognised and rated tour operators with much airlift would be involved.”

The prime minister also said that the prospective buyer plans to add other attractions and features and wants to work with stakeholders to develop it into a distinctive destination.

“I was excited…yesterday; for the first time, I started to feel we have an opportunity, to this level of interest that is now increasing, to integrate into the tourism mix in Grand Bahama some wonderful brands,” he said on Thursday.

Mr Christie has indicated that the prospective buyer has gone as far as identifying the buildings where they will put the four brands.

“The point is that it is so wonderful for me to have had…definitive discussions for proposals of this nature, and agreements are being arrived at,” he said.

The Hutchison properties were placed on the market last year and negotiations were underway prior to Memories, Breaker’s Cay hotels and Treasure Bay Casino closing. It is estimated that some 600 Bahamians could be out of jobs.

Mr Christie said government is now in ongoing discussions with Hutchison, and Sunwing on the reopening of Memories, while simultaneously dealing with a buyer for the purchase of the entire resort complex and potential operators for the hotel.

Although Hutchison’s insurance claim remains unsettled and complicating the restoration process, Mr Christie said his government is working assiduously to bring to conclusion a possible purchase of the hotels.

“There are active discussions going on. There are active changes going on and I indicated that I am optimistic based on all that I know is taking place, and that I see a great possibility of a really new injection of wonderful brands in the hotel here by new operators, some of whom will be coming in this community for the first time,” he told reporters after his hour-long address.

When asked by reporters about his message to the many unemployed hotel workers from Grand Lucayan, Mr Christie said that they should know “that people are active – those who are talking and negotiating, and they are in consultation with Hutchison and the government of the Bahamas at the same time.

“It is manifestly in my interest to move it as quickly as possible, and we are doing that with respect to people who are looking for jobs. We want to minimise the extent to which people who have lost their jobs suffer, and we are we are looking for alternative employment for some (of them).”

When asked for more information concerning the casino, Mr Christie would not disclose any details.

“Negotiations are too fluid for me to speak to it except that some very significant brands are being spoken to with a view to being involved in the hotel industry,” he replied.