Fairmont Southampton Redevelopment Begins
The Fairmont Southampton redevelopment has “kicked off, with shovels in the ground at the Beach Club site this past week and preliminary preparations under way for the hotel renovation,” Westend Properties announced.
“The steps we’ve taken at the Fairmont Southampton property this week have been groundbreaking – literally – and are significant, tangible signs of our commitment to this redevelopment and to the people of Bermuda,” said Karim Alibhai, founder of Gencom. “We are so excited to be moving ahead with this much-anticipated project.”
A spokesperson said, “Westend and its managing partner, Gencom, are very pleased to share this update on the important milestones reached so far as well as an estimated timeline for those to come.
“Work is commencing on a number of areas at the Fairmont Southampton site with the goal of maximizing efficiencies and reopening as much as possible, as soon as possible.
“For instance, at the Waterlot Inn, Bermuda-based Atlantic Mooring will be removing the old dock and installing new dock decking beginning in early March. Local contractor BCM Construction will be responsible for the interior renovations at the restaurant. We are aiming to once again welcome locals and visitors to Waterlot – as well as boats to the dock – as early as this summer.
“Progress is also being made at the Beach Club, where BCM Construction had men and equipment on site this week to begin the necessary demolition work. This phase of the project will be followed by the construction of the new space. The Beach Club is scheduled to open in the summer of 2025.”
“We’re so pleased to report that Ennismore – a leading global lifestyle and leisure hospitality company and a joint venture with Accor, the owner of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts – will operate the revitalised Beach Club when it reopens,” said Alessandro Colantonio, Chief Investment Officer at Gencom.
“The revamped Club is going to be spectacular,” he continued. “As we previously announced, it will feature a number of updated amenities, including a resort-style pool, a new restaurant with a fabulous menu, private cabanas, change huts, beach front loungers, a spacious events lawn and a watersports centre. It’s sure to quickly become a favourite destination for locals and visitors alike.”
A spokesperson said, “At the main hotel, model rooms have been completed and purchasing plans for the Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [FF&E] are in progress. The hotel construction is expected to take approximately 20 months. A phased reopening is planned, beginning with all the public spaces and more than 50% of the guest rooms in use before the end of 2025.
“Finally, Insulcon Construction has started working on upgrades to the employee housing and BCM Construction will be starting the necessary survey work and utility trench layout in the weeks to come.
“As mentioned above, a significant number of the companies involved in this project are Bermuda-based companies – in addition to Atlantic Mooring, BCM Construction and Insulcon Construction, local firms On-Site Engineering, Performance Construction and architectural consultant HDH Ltd. are on board. It’s currently estimated that approximately 200 jobs will be created for local talent through the renovation of the hotel and Beach Club. The balance of the redevelopment team consists of contractors and designers who have worked with Gencom in the past.”
“We are tremendously excited to share the news of these initial steps and would like to thank the Government of Bermuda, the Bermuda Industrial Union and the local community for their ongoing support,” Mr. Alibhai continued. “We look forward to the beginning of the overhaul of the hotel in the weeks ahead.”
“The Beach Club is scheduled to open in the summer of 2025.”
What about the hotel?
Perhaps unintentionally, you didn’t read the rest of the article which identifies other key dates and openings. And the beach club and Waterlot will be quite able to operate separate from the hotel being open, as has Boundary. This will likely provide jobs for people and revenue for the organization. I have posted the part that you must not have seen below for further edification.
“The revamped Club is going to be spectacular,” he continued. “As we previously announced, it will feature a number of updated amenities, including a resort-style pool, a new restaurant with a fabulous menu, private cabanas, change huts, beach front loungers, a spacious events lawn and a watersports centre. It’s sure to quickly become a favourite destination for locals and visitors alike.”
A spokesperson said, “At the main hotel, model rooms have been completed and purchasing plans for the Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [FF&E] are in progress. The hotel construction is expected to take approximately 20 months. A phased reopening is planned, beginning with all the public spaces and more than 50% of the guest rooms in use before the end of 2025.”
I love it the way it was. My favorite place! Don’t change it to much.????????????
Good luck to the renovators.
I agree it was a Great Hotel and the Staff were Excellent
I also loved it the way it was. If it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it.
That all sounds great with the exception of the 250 added condos – that’s where the lipstick on the hog comes in. Instead of looking off your terrace at a wonderful view you’ll be staring at adjacent buildings and rooftops around the whole perimeter of the hotel. I play that same game with my grandchildren, only as a joke to distract them while I remove one of their toys from the table – of course they caught on after a couple of times. I can’t predict what will happen with the hotel but I suggest you investigate the history and timing of projects Gencon has under it’s belt. I would just like to point out the problems Florida condo owners are experiencing with maintenance fees assessed on their units for major repairs (not related to covid) in addition to regular maintenance but still life altering. The whole scheme of 1/10 ownership for a condo – how feasible could that possibly be? Assume a person coughs up $300k for a 1/10 ownership for the unit plus fees for yearly maintenance. Three million for a condo WOW x 250 units x 10 shares per unit = over $700m. As I recall Gencon tried to expand at Tuckers. That is 10 times what you’d get in the US for a condo and tax free to Gencon
a bonus
Lets gooooooooooo!
When is this going to reopen and how much are you going to change the hotel? We have been going for 45 years prior to closing and miss it ALOT. We can’t wait for you to reopen. Will you be offering the MAP program again?
Sandy Cross
Longwood Travel
It’s nice to dream but reality is where we are. A major depression is on the horizon, banks are failing, companies closing, and major cutbacks are occurring. My wife and I honeymooned in Hamilton Princess 73 and have been returning to the SHP since as our family grew yearly. I remember glancing at the weekly itinerary and noting the corporate sponsors who were renting large blocks of rooms for all their salespeople at the expense of all their customers. My family and I love BDA. Not sure if we’ll have the same feelings once you overbuild SHP. During Fauci’s covid we went to the Reefs Hotel then the following 2 years novax the Cove in Atlantis very high end, not overbuilt on the hotel property. Everything was separated so as not to infringe on the different lifestyles. Now It’s grandparents – parents – grandchildren 1 vacation. It’s amazing what the USA has deemed as acceptable as long as they get a cut – lottery, marijuanna, schools, immigration just to name a few. Notice homeless, veterans, drug addiction, people losing homes N.Y. LA. Chicago
commerce gone-destroyed. Meanwhile Gencom is selling you the Brklyn Bridge.
As I recall the SHP closed in March 2020 that means 4+ years have passed since it shut down. It’s now the third quarter of 24 beyond the time Gencon stated they were to begin construction full steam ahead. That $32 million profit is being squandered as interest accrues on the mortgage note – unless the Bda bank is providing 2% interest rate. Let’s see $350 million x 2% year = $7 million a year x 4 years = $28 million in interest. There goes the profit and thats at 2% ??? Meanwhile no money has gone into hotel renovations except for tile removal at the Ocean Club (three men tile removal, shovel, hammer drill, dumpster). Hmmm, don’t look too good for that profit margin. You’re not getting a construction mortgage for 2% today and no one is going to give you that kind of money today (see Donald Trump for example trying to get a bond posted to continue his BS lawsuit)-(a billionaire with a $100 million plane) especially today @ 2%. I can’t make any sense of this deal
“As I recall the SHP closed in March 2020″
Most hotels closed in March 2020, around the same time the airport closed.
But Southampton Princes then became the quarantine hotel when the airport reopened in July 2020.
8,400 high earners moving to Bda in 5 years/by 91 new apartments that equates to 93.4 people per unit. In the age of Artificial Intelligence, it seems we are always finding new buzz words that don’t take us anywhere. Everyone’s life is getting so much better as time goes on, when the reality is we are working harder than ever to maintain our existence while our elite politicians create new positions in Gov to employ their F&F (more common than not) If we are open bordered (as we are) and those migrants are taking our jobs at lesser rates and displacing higher price employees, then the melting pot theory is flawed They want to maintain the high taxes until it doesn’t work anymore. Then the new guy comes to town and the new deal deletes “Redundancy” or I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. That deal is ‘PrimeRib’ for the builder (are you any better yet) The problem that exists here is companies are being overtaxed so they cannot survive to pay for Gov, so they leave We need real intelligence not ‘artificial’ BS. There’s the idea build it and they will come – until they don’t. Greed and taxes – an economy killer. We are out of ideas to help us improve our lives, so we grab for straws. Gov. Abbott or Desantis will be glad to send migrants if you think it will help – but it’s only a temporary fix, until they want more money for cost of rent food and equal quality of life etc. We don’t need more Gov to tell us the sky is falling, or the climate is dying, and they’ll buy property on the beach waiting for the glaciers to melt. Gov is not the solution to the problem, nor can they be trusted to negotiate an acceptable outcome
reply
Please stop preaching your personal views – perhaps others see the world differently than you.
Fortunately for me I don’t watch ‘Oprah or The View’ and socialism is not a formula for success. On u-tube search Damon Imani a guest on those platforms an alternative view. I’ve been a businessman for over 50yrs and after military service worked my own business days and went to college at night, paid for my three children’s college professional degrees I can understand there are people with different views and they see things differently – however I should not be required to fund those choices with my money to put smiles on their faces. It’s the politicians who created these problems requiring more tax money to keep the schemes going. Perhaps you agree with trans surgery, etc. Not an issue I’d be interested in – these are the detractors they use as in sleight of hand and shell games to change the subject and that rob you. I’m a longtime visitor to Bermuda, paid for my son’s wedding at the SHP many family vacations there and we went there with the couple to make the ‘wed’ arrangements w/checkbook (bda onion) perhaps there are disagreements we share and putting 250 condos around the SHP so GenCon can profit is high on that list. I recall being at the beach 2018 and a local was selling drugs to a hotel guest – my wife and I told mgmt. and the following visit cameras had been installed. Quality of life should be the issue not money grab. My wife and I always wanted to own property in Bda but unfortunately, she passed on, but I’m still here preaching my personal views so there remains some sanity in life. Kids degrees – mech eng, civil eng, architecture w/2.5yr eng.(girlfriends’ choice) See you soon with family – Hamilton Princess place of my honeymoon – my son and his family were there two weeks ago. No hard feelings change should be for the better.
Sadly, Gary, our government has accumulated so much debt in the past 20 years that the only way to fund interest payments (other than even more borrowing) is to sell off more of Bermuda for foreigners. If it kills the goose that lays the golden eggs, so be it. No politician stays in office forever.
People make decisions based or reports provided by their Gov. as they are the supposed reporters of record ?? Imagine the surprise when we are all told the employment stats are incorrect to the tune of 818,000(oops).They are selling hype which doesn’t improve wealth because with wealth comes VALUE.The only product providing value today is consumer credit loans for the sheisters charging up to 40% interest because the gov is projecting a good economy as the economy collapses. Suppose you purchase a home today even though you weren’t qualified because you receive an introductory rate qualifier. You are on top of the world because of sub-prime.But the reality is your loan was only a teaser because the banksters invented a way to trick investors out of their money in credit default swaps where they manufacture worthless instruments called subprime credit default swaps and they package them with commercial credit default swaps,sold those worthless products to investors. AIG was one of those big losers along with a large number of German companies that were duped because they trusted US banks This allowed the banks to sell more loans with less restrictions. 40% of those loans defaulted as interest rates rose – some of those people took on a second mortgage at a much higher rate assuming a second job would pull them through (no). The reality is intel laid-off 15,000, dell 12,500, micron 7,500, microsoft 10,000. The only jobs that are supplementing employment are gov jobs like 10,000 new Irs employees and about 80,000 others talk about useless eaters.As the gov manipulates the data to give you the wrong information on the economy they are still profiting thru fannie may and freddy mac – (gov repo machine) keeps you poor. They are even manipulating home values to maintain artificially inflated home asessement values through the asessors because they are about to cut interest rates that give pensions a return on their
investment because none of their investments are paying off, groups are beginning to sue gov asessors for fraud (no time limit)We are being over taxed to the tune of 40%. Gencom is not doing Bermuda any favors They are just taking advantage of the circumstances at a discount on behalf of the taxpayer’s.See- realestatemindset.youtube
I just have one more comment and that relates to the ‘new’ airport bldg. I took note upon my latest arrival and departure and noted the time it took us to get in and through the new bldg did not vary from that of the old building. Point being the $550million debt could have been better spent on the purchase of the SHP providing more jobs & leftover money rather than the new eye candy airport which appeared to have the same quantity personnel. Note I didn’t include $75mil gift to Gencon or the interest and penalties on the airport construction. Now you have an empty airport bldg to get rid of. I’m amazed that politicians are allowed to spend people’s tax money with no consequences to themselves (no skin in the game) just a certificate hanging on the wall behind their desk similar to Scotts or Charmin next to the throne. I guess you can use one when you run out of the other. Just a thought!!!
Gary,
I would love to agree with you, but the sad fact is that the “old” airport building (which is younger than most of my children) was not maintained properly and thus the cost of repairing it would have exceeded the cost of the new building. The roof of the “old” airport building leaks like a sieve and that has caused other problems internally. This is not news. This has been public knowledge for some years now.
Our choices were to have a new building built or wait for disaster to strike with the “old” airport building.