The Casuarinas of Cable Beach, a fixture on the world-famous strip has been renamed in honour of its owner. The property which will now come under the moniker of, ‘Nettie’s Place – Casuarinas of Cable Beach’ was originally opened by the trail-blazing hotelier in 1977, some 27 years ago.
The hotel is just one item on a long list of achievements during her extensive career within the tourism industry, which began five decades ago. Nettie stated that in her 27 years in the hotel business, she had seen many businesses, particularly those that were Bahamian-owned, come and go, usually after a maximum of five years. She said that in spite of the uncertainty, her unique property, which is now the only Bahamian-owned property on the popular thoroughfare, continued to hang on, and that the hotel would be there for the long haul.
The re-launch of the historic hotel comes not only in its name change, but in the shifting direction the operation will take. Nettie said that in the real world, when being counted along with so many other hotels, offering something different was what it took to be competitive. She emphasised the need to get back to the down home way of doing things and the importance of getting back to basics.
In terms of sustaining the legacy, over the years at some point all of her seven children, four boys and three girls, have worked at the landmark hotel. One of Nettie’s daughters, Marsha Duncanson, currently serves as the hotel’s manager. Ms Duncanson said, “We are pleased of our mother’s accomplishments, and her legacy. We are proud of her contributions to the Bahamian tourism product.”
The original Casuarinas, which opened in 1977, was comprised of the building on the northern sea side of West Bay Street. This is the section that is currently closed for renovation. Nettie hopes to create a retreat setting for the property, with new furniture in the rooms built from blocks and pinewood, featuring artwork by the proprietor herself, and the old basement that runs the length of the original property will be converted to aerobic and meditation rooms.
The building on the southern side of the street was acquired and opened in 1985. The addition features 36 guest suites, a restaurant and a redecorated ballroom seating 250 people.
Nettie flew in to the capital for her special celebrations from Abaco, where she also runs the ecotourism driven Different of Abaco, which includes the Sea Shell Club and Great Room, in addition to the Heritage Bonefish Club and Restaurant. In past years, Nettie was dubbed the most successful small hotel operator in the Caribbean. The attention she garnered from the title led Ministry of Tourism Director General Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace to seek her out and petition her to duplicate her efforts on the family islands. As a native of Eleuthera, she was born in Rock Sound, she originally tried to open a resort there. However, for reasons beyond her control, the project did not work out. It was following this effort that she set her sights on Abaco.
Basil Smith of the Ministry of Tourism presented the tourism icon with a framed copy of the article that appeared in Cond� Nast Traveler magazine. The issue which is currently on newsstands, showers praise on The Bahamas as this year’s official ‘hot spot’ for international travellers and drew special attention to Nettie’s friendly service and welcoming approach. Nettie commented, “It is important to cultivate a market for persons who want to be creative and different. That is why the Bahamian tourism product should strive to be diverse. We need to refocus and redirect ourselves if we want to create our own identity.”
Brigette Dean, The Nassau Guardian
