Plans for new hotel adjacent to
Great Bay Beach Resort –Spadaro
says he remains committed to
develop St. Maarten– By Suzanne Koelega
PHILIPSBURG--Keeping true to his promise of commitment to the island, Former President and Consultant of the Maho Group Saro “Papa Spadaro” Spadaro Sr. announced Monday that he wanted to build a condominium hotel on the empty lot on the beach next to Great Bay Beach Resort and Casino.
Spadaro also wants to attach a brand name to the newly renovated Great Bay Resort and to develop the area, creating a “new life centre.” “I have a moral commitment to this island,” he said. He announced the opening of Great Bay Beach Resort that went from three to four stars at the beginning of April and confirmed that negotiations were ongoing to attach a brand name to the hotel.
The hotelier said his group had already bought the 5,400m2 adjacent to Great Bay Beach Resort and as soon as the renovation of the existing hotel was completed and permits from government were in, he wanted to start construction.
The project he called “condo hotel” will be built according to a new concept whereby the condominiums will be sold and the project run like a hotel, explained Spadaro. The condo hotel would have 165 top class condominiums and should be seen as an extension to what he referred to as Little Bay Project.
Also part of the new project will be a large public area for entertainment and a two-floor parking garage to accommodate 500 cars. The project, together with the existing hotel, will serve as a catalyst to bring life to the “Down Street” area.
“I want to make this a centre of life, create a facility that brings more life, more shopping, just like Maho, which was bush before. Now almost everything happens in the middle of Front Street. This area needs beautification,” he said.
Pond’s stench
One of Spadaro’s conditions, however, to engage in this project is that something is done about Fresh Pond. “If we don’t solve the problem with the pond, it will be impossible to build a condo hotel,” he said.
In fact, Fresh Pond already forms a major problem for the newly renovated Great Bay Beach Resort, he said. “I expect government to solve the problem with this pond. So far nothing has been done. It is imperative, also if you want people to live in a clean environment,” he said.
Government’s assistance is also needed to attract a brand name to Great Bay Beach Resort, said Spadaro, announcing that the group is negotiating with “several big names” to attach their name to the resort.
“But I need government’s support. Otherwise it is impossible,” he said, giving Curaçao and Aruba as examples where government had assisted in bringing top brand name hotels to the island. “Why did they get top brand names there? Because government assisted with that facility,” he said. Spadaro managed to get Sonesta to attach its name to Maho Beach Resort in 2004.
Special consideration
The Maho Group should also get “special consideration,” according to Spadaro because it has been one of the only ones that didn’t build casinos without hotel rooms. “St. Maarten has 13 casinos without one hotel room attached to them. Only hotels with casinos, and not only casinos, bring business to St. Maarten. We bring business. The others just steal. I think we need special consideration from government for what we did,” he said.
The fact that Great Bay Beach Resort opened February 12, while it wasn’t completely finished, was also a sign of his commitment. Also, when the hotel closed in June last year for a complete overhaul, all 165 employees were kept on. “We paid everyone and now they are all back at work. We will even hire more when the resort is finished by the end of March,” he said, announcing that the official opening of the resort will be held at the beginning of April.
Spadaro admitted that the complete renovation of the resort, originally built in 1968 as St. Maarten Isle Hotel and which he took over in 1975, his first project in St. Maarten, had been very much needed.
Rust
Rust had affected the structure to the extent that all beams, columns and part of the foundation had to be replaced. “Everything was rusted. But the end result is a completely new hotel. They worked for eight months straight, day and night, seven days a week.”
The resort currently operates 150 rooms, occupied mostly by tourists who booked through GWV of Boston, Air Transat of Canada and Apple Vacation in Chicago. All 150 rooms are booked solid until mid-March. By that time, the number of available hotel rooms will have increased to 180.
The Miramar wing, consisting of 52 luxury apartments that will be sold as timeshare, should be ready by July. Spadaro said the project so far had cost US $17 million, some US $5 million more than anticipated. The project is being financed through RBTT.
He said he was proud of Great Bay Resort’s renovation and remained committed to St. Maarten. “I have been here for 30 years and I have a moral commitment to this island. I want to continue to develop St. Maarten, continue to show my commitment to my employees and my people because after 30 years I feel like a St. Maartener. And when I don’t have any more energy, I have my son who will continue the dedication to invest in St. Maarten,” he said.
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