BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - FOLLOWING a delay, the Park Hyatt Hotel currently under construction at the Southeast Peninsula is nearing completion, and according to Range Developments Vice Chairman Mohammed Asaria, it is expected to be opened to the public in “spring to summer” next year.
Range Developments, which is partnering with Christophe Harbour in the construction of the luxury Hyatt Hotel, disclosed that the project is some 90% complete.
The Park Hyatt Hotel forms part of a larger chain of establishments promise by the Charles ‘Buddy’ Darby-led Christophe Harbour organization which has already constructed a mega yacht marina and a number of luxury homes on the Southeast Peninsula.
The Park Hyatt project started in the first quarter of 2014 and Range Developments has pumped approximately US$130M into it, with some 90% already expended, Asaria said.
“We can stand up proudly and say our action can do the talking. We can show you what is possible when you have right strategy, the right vision [and] the right team to execute a project of this nature. The value of this project is in excess of US$100 million…$130 something million,” he told reporters at a meeting held yesterday (Nov. 29) while providing a guided tour of the facility.
During the walk through, it was observed that there is still some way to go before the project is fully completed, as work still need to be done on several buildings and all of the mega pools are still being worked on as contractors continue working on other aspects of the project.
However, some rooms are already fully completed and employees are assiduously working to have a number of restaurants and bar completed very soon.
Asaria disclosed that they have identified 150 people for employment with the company and an additional 100 would be coming on stream.
During a discussion, it was revealed that among those who would be hired, a number of them lack some of the skills needed for the hospitality sector, including in the area of Culinary Arts.
To this end, they have partnered with the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College to host training programmes for those seeking to enhance their skills.
This comes as the company gave the assurance that it is looking to have in its employ a large number of Kittitians and Nevisians acquiring managerial positions within the organisation.
Asaria described the venture as exciting times ahead for the Park Hyatt brand on St. Kitts and Nevis.
When fully completed, the luxury hotel is expected to provide approximately 130 rooms and 126 kiosk rooms.
