Amid rising speculation that Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide Inc. may be considering pulling the Sheraton brand from its Cable Beach hotel, Starwood and Baha Mar executives have refused to confirm or deny if the brand is looking to make its exit.
Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) Vice President Darren Woods, in addition to several other industry sources who have spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity, have indicated that there are ongoing rumors of Starwood considering removing the Sheraton brand.
Asked to respond to such speculation yesterday, newly-appointed General Manager for the hotel Edward Baten said that the company “cannot comment at this time” and referred this newspaper to Baha Mar, the hotel’s owners.
Previous messages left for Starwood’s international media relations representatives seeking comment have also gone unreturned.
Pressed on the matter, Robert Sands, senior vice president of administration and external affairs for Baha Mar, also declined to confirm or deny the possibility of a Starwood exit, repeatedly telling Guardian Business he would not “respond to rumors”.
Starwood brought the Sheraton brand to the Cable Beach hotel in spring of 2007, after an $80 million renovation of the property following Baha Mar’s acquisition of the former Radisson Cable Beach and Golf Resort, Wyndham and Nassau Beach hotels in March 2005.
The hotel has remained operational throughout the period of the Baha Mar resort’s construction, which began in February 2011.
It is unclear exactly what might precipitate such an exit, if it occurs, although media reports regarding Starwood exits globally have referred to considerations that the branded properties no longer met expectations associated with the company’s standards.
