Courtyard Marriott closed

(CNS): Update 8pm Friday. According to a note on the door the Courtyard Marriott on Seven Mile Beach has been temporarily closed because of damage incurred during the passage of Hurricane Paloma. However, according to some staff members who have been told their employment has been terminated, it appears this could be more than a temporary closure for repairs.

CNS has attempted to contact Dan Waters, the Manager of the hotel but so far we have not been able to speak with him to find out the extent of the damage or to confirm opr deny the speculaiton  that there are other issues regarding the hotel’s sudden closure. However a staement was released on Friday afternoon (see below for detials.)

Yesterday, CNS spoke to some employees and learned that there was a small amount of flooding in both the restaurant dining area and the kitchen, but that the owner of the hotel was on island and they believed some people had lost their jobs.

The Gecko Beach Bar was still operational and some staff were working, albeit shorter hours they said, in that facility. However, some staff were reportedly let go earlier this week and speculation which has reached the Legge Report has suggested that the issue is more complex than flood water and may actually affect an existing plan to redevelop the entire hotel.

The Courtyard Marriott along with literally hundreds of acres in that area was purchased by Stan Thomas who had reportedly planed to redevelop a huge area of Seven Mile Beach on a similar scale to that of Dart at Camana Bay. However, owing to various issues concerning the movement of the road and other alleged difficulties there is some speculation that the Courtyard Marriott, at least, may no longer be part of the proposed future plans. Concerns are also being raised that given the situation with the former Hyatt which has remained derelict for four years since Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the idea of a second hotel along the Seven Mile Beach area standing empty for any lengthy period could be potentially damaging to the overall tourist product.

There were guests in the hotel at the time of Paloma’s arrival who were, staff said, relocated to the Grand Cayman Marriott.

On Friday afternoon a joint release was issued from the Department of Tourism and the Courtyard Marriott which certainly gave the impression that while the closure was as aresult of Hurricane damage from Palom it seemed to be a long term closure.

What staff had described as a little water in the dinning area and kitchen was described in the release as, "extensive water damage to the interior of the hotel" and therefore the hotel would remain closed for an extended period.

The release stated that on Friday morning (November 14), the Minister of Tourism, Charles Clifford, representatives of the hotel’s owners and management, along with officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Department of Tourism and Department of Employment Relations met with staff to brief them and answer questions. 

"The staff meeting focused on staff welfare which is the top priority and the Department of Employment Relations and the Ministry of Tourism will be continuously monitoring the situation," it stated  adding hotel is also collaborating with other properties on the island to relocate employees and accommodate guests previously booked.

The statement went on to say that teams of construction experts and insurance adjusters are currently evaluating the extent of the damage. Once the assessment is completed, the hotel will finalize a timeline for recovery the hotel said . "While the closure is regrettable, we recognize that the refurbishment of this property brings with it a real opportunity for a new and more competitive tourism product that will benefit employees and the destination in the long term."

Speculaiton that the closured owed more to a longer term failure regarding agreement on the wider development than the inch or so flood water was not addressed in the release.