Record occupancy at the new Riviera

Record occupancy at the new Riviera
The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. (PHOTO: BMOTA)

Minister of Tourism touts Baha Mar’s resurgence

 

The once beleaguered Baha Mar resort is said to be riding high this month with record occupancy at the hotel, according to resort officials.

The Grand Hyatt at Baha Mar shared with Eyewitness News Online recently, that 80 per cent of the resorts available to room inventory are occupied.

The occupancy rate translates to over 2,500 heads in bed at the resort.

An increase in group and leisure sales on property is said to be responsible for the boost in property revenue.

Grand Hyatt resort Manager John D’Angelo said, it is a great day for the resort, which has only been open for a few months.

“We’ve had a great February and looking forward to a great March as well. We have lots of convention guests in and a lot of leisure guests in. we are actually experiencing one of our highest occupancy in our history since we have opened so this is wonderful,” D’Angelo said.

“This kind of business keeps everyone working and happy and this kind of buzz right now is excellent.”

Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar said, he is confident that the resort complex will only get better.

“It’s really wonderful how Baha Mar is coming alive. It seems like almost every week they’re opening a new food and beverage option,” he said.

“They have Italian, they have sushi and down here tonight is their “all-you-can-eat” fabulous buffet. It’s top of the line, truly wonderful and an incredible experience. It’s also a testament to how well Baha Mar is growing out their product line, growing out all that they have to offer.”

D’Aguilar described the Baha Mar property as “buzzy” and credited the resort’s Bahamian staff as a crucial part of its continued success.

“Of course, what’s the icing on the cake is the number of Bahamians that are employed at this facility, it grows every day towards the goal of getting to 5,000 Bahamians directly and many more thousands indirectly, so I’m very excited to participate in yet another opening,” he said.

“I’m very excited on how this project is truly impacting Bahamians and truly very excited that finally Baha Mar is exploding on to the scene.”

D’Angelo touted the resort’s extensive product offerings and amenities as the main reason for the uptick in business.

“First of all, the product is phenomenal,” D’Angelo said.

“The resort is brand new and beautiful. The Hyatt property specializes in convention business and we have a great team that knows how to bring business down here. We have lots of site business where people come down to view the property and that often translates into some good business for us.”

About Theo Sealy

Theo Sealy is an award-winning journalist who serves as senior broadcast reporter and weekend TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. He has achieved several career milestones, including his work as a field contributor with CNN, his coverage of four consecutive general elections, his production of several docuseries and his Bahamas Press Club Awards win for “Best Television News Story” in 2018.