L’Habitation Hotel renovation
at Anse Marcel to start finally
MARIGOT-St. Martin-Major renovation work at the former Le Méridien hotel property L’Habitation de Lonvilliers in Anse Marcel, now owned by Radisson Hotels, is to start in early April, sometime between April 2 and 9, it was announced Tuesday.
The hotel closed on March 10, 2006, following the purchase of the property by parent company Carlson Hotels Worldwide in October 2005 for US $60 million.
It was due to open this year but issues between Radisson and the supervising contractor CIEC over contractual obligations and other documentation delayed the start of the work by several months.
“Radisson did not want construction work to start without insurance which was the main cause of the delay but now everything is in order,” explained Claire Guion-Firmin, secretary of Comité d’Entreprise, a committee providing an intermediary link between hotel employees and management. The committee sits in on monthly meetings with management.
Contractor CIEC has estimated the work will take between 12 and 15 months with three months built in to allow for delays due to a hurricane strike.
All 115 employees of the original hotel have been retained and their salaries paid in part by Radisson since March 2006.
At a meeting attended by about 70 of the employees to announce start of the construction work, employees were told management wanted employees to consider re-applying for “Assedic” (state unemployment benefit) to relieve the burden on the hotel during the construction phase.
Since the closure of the hotel in March 2006, employees have taken all vacation days owed to them before signing on for unemployment benefit which lasted for seven months. From April to November 2006, 90 per cent of the employees’ salaries have been paid; 60 per cent from Assedic and 30 per cent from the hotel.
“At the moment, the hotel is paying 100 per cent of the salaries but it is asking if we can consider another seven-month period of Assedic benefit,” said Guion-Firmin. “Employees have to request this through the State and by French law the committee has to reply to management on this point in the positive or negative.”
Asked what would happen if a new period of Assedic was declined, she said employees would continue to be paid 100 per cent by the hotel.
“Understandably the hotel wants some help after supporting the staff for nearly two years,” she added. “So far the management of the hotel has always stood by its commitments on our behalf. Why would we say no to this request if Assedic pays 60 per cent and hotel 40 per cent?”
The refurbished hotel will have 188 luxurious rooms and 88 suites, all with Internet connections and other upscale amenities. In addition, the property will have a health spa, two restaurants, bars, swimming pools and conference facilities.
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