Sandals Resort International (SRI) hotel group chain has invited the Perry Christie government in The Bahamas to assist with solutions to high costs faced by its Emerald Bay hotel in Exuma, to prevent the closure of the unprofitable resort.
On Friday, Sandals issued a statement which indicated that 600 jobs might be lost unless the government took action.
“It is a fact that the hotel is facing severe difficulty in continuing operations at Emerald Bay because of the multitude of high costs associated with operating from the family islands of The Bahamas. Some of these costs could never have been anticipated and make the Emerald Bay resort unlike any other we operate,” the release said.
“The cost to operate the facility is proving to be unsustainable with the highest utility costs we face as a hotel chain, limited airlifts to the island, the continuing need to subsidise airlifts, high fuel and transportation costs, added to a series of costs associated with overcoming the limited pool of trained professionals on the island…,” said SRI.
The statement also highlighted Sandals’ status as a top local employer.
Sandals Resorts, which is owned by Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, operates hotels in six Caribbean countries.
