Thirteen years after the historic Sam Lords Castle in St Philip was gutted by fire, the new owners of the luxury resort that was rebuilt around it have reported a successful “soft opening” and are upbeat about its prospects for the winter tourist season.
General Manager of the Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle All-Inclusive Resort Marc Balanger said the first guests were welcomed to the beachfront property on October 12, six years after construction started on the project which Prime Minister Mia Mottley in August indicated would cost $458 million more than anticipated.
“The soft opening of Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle All Inclusive Resort has been very successful, with guests from around the world already experiencing the fabulous amenities that we have to offer,” Balanger told Barbados TODAY.
“We received 178 guests, the majority from the US as it was a group, a few from Canada, [Switzerland] and the UK. Guest feedback has been excellent, particularly regarding the extraordinarily friendly and helpful staff with their personalised service.”
Balanger would not disclose the resort’s occupancy rate but ventured prospects for the winter season which runs from mid-December to mid-April and next year’s summer prospects.
“We are predicting a strong demand [for winter] over the coming months as we head into our high season, [and] we are expecting more than 60 per cent for the next summer,” he disclosed.
Asked to what extent the resort was on track with plans for full operations, he replied: “We are looking forward to our official grand opening in early 2024, for which we expect the hotel to be fully operational.”
When the prime minister toured the five-diamond resort two months ago, she told reporters that “the contractors would have made a force majeure claim under the contract in excess of US$40 million (BDS$80 million), and we managed to get them down, after extensive negotiations, to US$22.5 million (BDS$45 million).”
The resort’s 422 rooms include 37 suites with sophisticated architecture and sustainable designs, along with large ocean views and lanai-style private balconies.
It also features a 13 000-square-foot spa with a pool area and relaxation deck, along with a state-of-the-art fitness centre and a sunrise yoga centre. Other on-site amenities include lagoon-style swimming pools, a kids’ centre, butler service, tennis and pickleball courses.
The resort also offers 15 000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting and event space that can accommodate up to 1 100 guests, top-of-the-line technology and purposefully-built landscapes for staging weddings and special events.
At peak operation, guests can enjoy contemporary culinary experiences in more than ten dining venues. Culinary highlights include the Mediterranean Marketplace featuring flavours from North Africa, Italy, France, Portugal and Spain, pop-up food trucks and poolside dining.
Celebrating Barbadian offerings, the resort also features a speciality “farm to fork” experience with locally sourced ingredients from nearby farmers, fisherfolk and purveyors. (EJ)
