NASSAU, BAHAMAS— Plans for a 250-room hotel at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) are moving forward, with Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) expected to select a proponent to design, build, finance and operate the development by early 2027.
Environmental Policy and Planning Specialist Stacey Moultrie, of SEV Consulting Group, said during a Department of Environmental Planning and Protection public consultation hearthat the project will be undertaken through a request for proposals process, while several elements, including the final design and construction timeline, are still being worked out.
“The project is actually going to happen through RFP for the design, build, finance and operate. So NAD is going to select the proponent to actually do all of that,” Moultrie said.
She added: “It’s expected that a company will be selected early 2027.”
Moultrie said the RFP closed on March 30, with the successful proponent expected to receive a lease to develop and operate the hotel.
The development is expected to comprise two hotel buildings totaling 250 rooms. The project’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP) specifies a 120-room, 60,000-square-foot building and a second 130-room, 65,000-square-foot building, along with a parking lot and landscaped stormwater detention areas. Updated-NAD-Landside-Hotel-EMP-1
The hotel will target the mid-market and upper mid-market segments and could be developed in one or two phases. The EMP describes the project as the first stage in NAD’s broader vision to create a larger business and economic hub centred on LPIA.
Amenities are expected to include a restaurant or café, fitness centre, business centre and meeting facilities. Conceptual plans also show future stages of development at LPIA, including office and additional food and beverage spaces.
Moultrie stressed that the plans presented are preliminary and that another round of stakeholder consultation is expected once outstanding details are settled.
“There are some details that still need to be worked out,” she said, adding that once matters including the exact design are finalised, “there will be a second round of consultation.”
The EMP puts the expected construction build-out period at 36 months, although Moultrie indicated that the timeline has not yet been finalised. A detailed construction schedule is to be submitted to the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection once the design-build contractor is engaged.
The proposed hotel will occupy approximately 6.2 acres within LPIA’s existing footprint at the current cell phone waiting area, which is also informally used by taxi drivers. The cell phone waiting area is expected to be relocated once construction begins.
The EMP classifies the entire project site as “human altered,” comprising cleared, paved and landscaped areas. It notes that the property would have been pine woodland before being disturbed by human activity. Updated-NAD-Landside-Hotel-EMP-1
Stormwater detention areas are incorporated into the development plans, with Moultrie saying the measures are intended to ensure the hotel does not exacerbate flooding at the airport.
The EMP states that appropriate construction and operational methods, together with its proposed mitigation measures, can minimise or eliminate negative environmental impacts associated with the project.
