Officials of the resort have said that they needed to bring in expatriates who are already trained in the Four Seasons way and would immediately be able to bring the quality of management to the operation that the hotel chain is accustomed to.
But they have assured government officials that Bahamians will be trained so that more of them will eventually be able to fill those positions.
Some Bahamians, meanwhile, have been complaining that locals are filling primarily lower-end jobs at the resort, which is set to open on November 1.
A few weeks ago, Emerald Bay spent $35,000 on two recruitment exercises, one in Exuma and one in New Providence.
As a result, 340 persons were hired; 150 from Exuma and 190 from New Providence.
Ramesh Sadhwani, the resort's general manager, said that 60 positions, including landscaping, security, engineering and housekeeping positions, have still not been filled.
Mr. Sadhwani said the resort is pleased with the selection of persons who have been hired.
"We picked up some really good people and we are very excited with our recruitment in Nassau and Exuma," he said. "We picked up persons who are very enthusiastic and energetic."
Mr. Sadhwani said that resort officials are anxious to get the hotel up and running.
Persons who have accepted positions are subject to drug screening by a nurse who will be on site on orientation day.
According to Mr. Sadhwani, the 30-day training programme, will cover classroom training for everyone, along with departmental training.
οΎ "We start out with a soft opening where we are brining in fan trips to the hotel and these are people basically in the business, our clients and their guests," he said. "But this would allow our staff to actually practice on real people."
Mr. Sadhwani said employees will continue training sessions with the guests that have already booked to stay at the resort.
"The idea is to get people use to the idea of dealing with people, but on a gradual basis," he said. "Instead of doing all your training and then opening your doors and you have 200 guests arrive. That would be a bit overwhelming, [so we want to] build up persons' skills and training gradually."
Despite the date for training of employees being pushed back by more than a week, the five-star Emerald Bay Resort in Exuma is on target for its November 1 opening, Mr. Sadhwani said.
He told the Bahama Journal that training has been delayed partly because all of the 190 employees from New Providence have not yet arrived in Exuma.
"Some of those people are not able to come because of various commitments," Mr. Sadhwani said. "We expected that a certain percentage of the people we hired would not be able to make it."
The new date for orientation for employees will begin on October 8, he said.
Four Season Resort at Emerald Bay will feature 183 guest rooms and suites; an 18-hole golf course; a full service spa and health club; a tennis club with four courts; two swimming pools; two restaurants and lounge; plus a wide variety of non motorized water spots.
A 17-acre deepwater marina will also be opened next spring servicing a variety of craft up to 230 in length.
By Yvette Rolle-Major, The Bahama Journal
