Despite one Bahamian hotel estimating Hurricane Frances damages at around $100,000, hotel industry executives and retailers in the Nassau/Paradise Island destination are still counting their blessings today as only cosmetic damage to properties has genereally been reported.
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, the Ministry of Tourism’s director general said yesterday that resort properties on both New Providence and Paradise Island fared relatively well, with most rooms open and operational by yesterday, with many hotels receiving guests and taking reservations.
Nassau International Airport opened just a day after the storm passed and began receiving flights into the Bahamas.
Early reports indicate there has been damage at The Crowne Plaza Gold Resort & Casino at the Royal Oasis. Grand Bahama International Airport was expected to reopen today, said Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace.
Other principle resorts, such as the Four Seasons Resort in Emerald Bay, Exuma, were said to have been left virtually unscathed.
In Abaco the Treasure Cay Airport is open, while management reported at the Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour reported that everything was fine and that they were fully operational.
Stephen Kappeler, regional director of operations for the Holiday Inns in the Bahamas, estimated that Hurricane Frances caused anywhere between $50,000 to $100,000 in damages to the Holiday Inn Sun Spree on Paradise Island. The resort’s sister property, the Holiday Inn Junkanoo Beach on West Bay Street suffered minimal damage in comparison, $25,000.
Mr. Kappeler said the Sun Spree was not expected to take any new arrivals until after September 20, although the hotel was open.
General manager at the Nassau Beach Resort said the hotel was 95 per cent operational with no guest rooms being affected by the storm, although the beach received a battering and there was minor damage to the roof and external lighting system.
The Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino lost 30 rooms due to water damage and the Radisson Cable Beach has lost a number of rooms also due to water damge.
Frank Comito, the Bahamas Hotel Association’s executive vice-president, said: “We’ve held up fairly well. Just about everyone is fully operational right now.
“There’ll be some economic fallout and it remains to be seen what happens in Grand Bahama and Abaco.”
Source: Yolanda Deleveaux, The Tribune
