Nearly three weeks after Baha Mar delayed its grand opening, Baha Mar Senior Vice President of Administration and External Affairs Robert Sands was unable to say when exactly the $3.5 billion resort will open. Baha Mar was set to open on March 27.
In a statement on March 24, officials said the property will open in the first week of May. When asked about the new date for the mega resort to open, Sands said officials have announced the project is delayed, but suggested a new date for the resort's opening has not been set. Pressed on how this has impacted guests who have or desire to book rooms, Sands did not respond directly. He indicated that more details would be provided at a later date.
Construction was ongoing at various sections of the property yesterday. Work at the Rosewood at Baha Mar, which is under construction, came to a halt yesterday morning after a construction worker was killed in what appeared to be an industrial accident.
Baha Mar was originally scheduled to open last December. Officials blamed the most recent delay on the contractor, noting that it had "become clear that the contractor had not completed the work with an attention to detail consistent with Baha Mar standards of excellence".
"From its inception, Baha Mar has committed to creating a gaming resort destination that will be unparalleled in the world," a statement by Baha Mar read. "In setting our opening date for March 27, we relied in good faith on the representations of the resort's construction manager and lead contractor."
However, the contractor's local company said it was "wholly inappropriate" to blame the contractor for the delay. The main contractor is China State Construction Engineering Corporation. Its subsidiary, China Construction America (CCA) Bahamas Ltd., said Baha Mar has presented many challenges, but CCA Bahamas has responded to those challenges "professionally and effectively".
Officials broke ground at Baha Mar in February 2011. The resort is expected to create up to 4,000 jobs, a fact Prime Minister Perry Christie has touted on several occasions. Baha Mar CEO Sarkis Izmirlian has pointed to the benefits the resort will have on the economy and in reducing the rising crime rate in the country.
The Export-Import Bank of China is financing the resort. The resort's amenities will include the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, the ESPA at Baha Mar spa and more than a dozen pools. Other attractions will include 50,000 square feet of high-end retail and shopping and over 30 restaurants, bars and lounges.
The resort will also include 200,000 square feet of combined state-of-the art convention facilities, including a 2,000-seat performing arts center and an art gallery with the largest curated collection of Bahamian art, a beachfront sanctuary with native Bahamian flora and fauna, and a private island.
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