Baha Mar Gets the Design for the Rosewood Hotel

Baha Mar has "nailed" the design of its Rosewood hotel, the brand's president said yesterday, adding he was "absolutely delighted" it did not go through with a previously-threatened exit.

Radha Arora, speaking ahead of yesterday's opening, told Tribune Business that Rosewood's arrival in The Bahamas had been "a long time coming" but "first impressions" - which can "make or break the client experience" - had exceeded the brand's expectations.

He added that the 237-room Rosewood Baha Mar resort could easily "rub shoulders" with other high-end resorts in its global property portfolio, which includes hotels throughout the Caribbean, US, Europe and Asia.

Last evening's opening marked Rosewood's Bahamian debut, and Mr. Arora said "pent up demand" for its Baha Mar property was such that it indicated travelers had been "waiting with bated breath" for its completion.

He praised both the quality of Baha Mar's physical product and the Rosewood's 450 staff, adding that they had "upheld" the brand's philosophy while combining well with Bahamian culture to create a "sense of place" to set the resort apart from its other hotels.

Rosewood is Baha Mar's high-end, luxury resort offering with room rates averaging around $500 per night. Mr. Arora credited Luigi Romaniello, Rosewood Baha Mar's managing director, and his team, together with the resort's four-month training program, for preparing staff for last night's opening.

The Rosewood chief added that he was "absolutely delighted" the resort brand/operator had stayed with Baha Mar, having sought to exit in September 2015 after its original developer, Sarkis Izmirlian, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Delaware federal courts.

Rosewood had then petitioned the court to lift a 'stay' so it could withdraw, arguing that its brand was being "diminished and tarnished" by its association with the Cable Beach-based project. It also alleged there were a number of "incurable defects" violating the two parties' agreements - such as the allegation that Baha Mar's then owner did not own the land upon which its hotel sits.

Source: Tribune 242