By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

More than half the 500 workers set to be employed at Royal Caribbean’s Paradise Island project have already been hired as construction works proceed at full speed to meet the forecast December 13 soft opening.

Speaking at a Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) event yesterday, Phil Simon, president for both the Royal Beach Club project and the cruise line’s Bahamas operations, confirmed that the first revenue-generating guests are expected to arrive ten days after the soft opening just before the Christmas holiday. 

“We're pushing as hard and as fast as we can to make our deadline for the end of the year. We have targeted December 13 for a soft opening and preview and ribbon cutting with the Government,” said Mr Simon.

“We are also looking at the week just before Christmas, in terms of our first revenue sales and our first paying guests. That is anywhere between the next 47 and 57 days to meet those particular dates.

“And so we are pushing fast, but also maintaining the excellent work that has been done thus far on the Beach Club to ensure that when we do open it meets everybody's expectations.”

Mr Simon said the restaurants on-site and pools are nearing completion, marking a significant milestone in the preparation of the Royal Beach Club. The dining facilities, which include quick-service options and casual eateries designed to serve both day visitors and excursion guests, are in the final stages of construction and outfitting.

He also highlighted progress on the club’s pools, noting that the first has already been filled with water - something he described as a tangible sign of the project moving closer to opening. The remaining two pools are expected to be completed by the end of November, ensuring that all recreational amenities will be ready for the Christmas season.

“We are a pool and beach club. We're an excursion thing. And so between the quick service restaurants, which we are just about completed with, we would have poured our first pool over the weekend. When I say pour meaning, literally, it's filled with water now, which is a big deal. We have two more to go. We hope before the end of November to have all of them completed and up and running,” said Mr Simon

He added that landscaping work is still ongoing, but said this comes after the completion of elements, which include walkways, patios and other key infrastructure. 

“We are still in the midst of our landscaping, but before landscaping comes the completion of the hardscape. And so despite Mother Nature, as we all know she's been doing her thing from the last week of August, actually, we are still committed to that timeline, and we will do our endeavour best,” he added. 

Simmone Bowe, the Royal Beach Club’s director of human resources, said Royal Caribbean has already reached more than 50 percent of its 500-employee target for the project, with a total of 253 hires - including both direct employees and third-party vendor staff. She expects all roles to be filled by the end of November

“To-date, we have hired over 100 team members. There are a number of candidates currently in the pipeline and onboarding pipeline and, as we speak, we have over 140 individuals onboarding today, as I mentioned, for a total of 253 team members,” said Ms Bowe.

“These hires are shared between direct club hires and third-party vendors providing service operations. When complete, we will have a team member complement of over 500 team members. We are expected to complete 100 percent of these hires by the end of November.”