The low-density, high-end Six Senses resort on Grand Bahama will feature 59 rooms and branded residential units and is expected to be shovel ready by the first quarter of next year and open by the first quarter of 2026, the project's developer Marc Weller said yesterday.

Weller was speaking at the Grand Bahama Business Outlook yesterday. He touted the imminent redevelopment of the Grand Bahama International Airport, which was announced at the event by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper.

Weller told Guardian Business on the sidelines of the conference that a new airport can be a catalyst that draws visitors to Grand Bahama and will present a good first impression of the island, boding well for visitors of Six Senses.

"I couldn't be more excited about the airport," said Weller.

"I think that airlift can be a cart/horse issue, but I do believe that a new airport will certainly incentivize people and visitors to come here, and I think most importantly what it will do is it will be your first handshake with the brand of Grand Bahama when you get off the plane.

"And it's something great and beautiful and it doesn't have to be big, it doesn't have to be huge, it just has to be nice and neat and modern, contemporary."

During his presentation at the outlook, Weller explained that the Six Senses project will be low-density and very high-end given the partnership with the Six Senses brand, which he said is "arguably" the number one hotel brand in the world.

The property is expected to include 27 villas, 15 one-bed rooms, five two-bed rooms and some three-bed rooms, a beach club and spa and wellness building.

Weller added that the property will also feature branded residential, which he explained has been one of the most resilient types of real estate over the past few years.

"It's very limited in nature. It's rather high-end. But, it needs to be serviced. It needs to be built," he said.

"So it's very good for local economies. It's generally very thoughtful, low scale.

"They will be very high-end and they will be able to be serviced by the hotel."

Weller added that buyers of branded residential units typically purchase without financing.

"If we were just trying to throw up regular housing that wasn't tied to a resort, I could see where there could be some concerns," he said.

He added that Six Senses is currently waiting on environmental regulatory approval and is finalizing designs for the property.

He said the property could attract tens of thousands of visitors annually, including Grand Bahamians.

Weller said the property's food amenities are being designed with locals in mind.

"When you build you can't have food that's over the top too expensive or too out of touch," he said.

"You have to have something for everybody, that's what makes it a place locals will come to as well. So, we expect to have a menu that will be fitting for that."

He added that the property will be constructed with climate change in mind, with buildings that will withstand high winds, building designs that will allow flood water to run around or through them and not inside them, and protected utilities.

"We also want to look at island resiliency and how we can be helpful there, protecting our site with barriers, whether it's aggregate barriers or other ideas that have been floated out there," Weller said.

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