Mark Kennedy
Sub-editor



With tens of millions of dollars being invested into a redevelopment project, the Wyndham Resort and Spa will attract a new generation of tourists, its new owners say.

An extra $150 million is to be ploughed into the Wyndham Resort & Spa in a development scheme that will elevate it from three to five-star status.

This is on top of the initial $50 million in re-financing pledged by the controlling Windwalker consortium last month. The improvements will take shape over the next several years

The consortium, financed by Lehman Brothers, is one of the largest investors in the luxury hotel sector and news of the additional funds came this week from Alan Worden, managing director of Windwalker Bermuda LLC.

Mr. Worden is on the island this week to meet with stakeholders in Government and the Bermuda Industrial Union.

The hotel re-opened on March 23 after it was shut in January so the hotel could be refurbished, amid unease among its 130 staff about the fate of their jobs.

But the hotel is open once again and "all staff who wanted to come back were welcomed back," Mr. Worden said.

All employees were rehired at their previous rate of pay.

Mr. Worden said the primary focus is on getting the hotel up and running before the peak tourist season.

The revitalization plans include the complete redevelopment of the Carlton Wing and extensive renovations to the Bay Wing of the hotel, along with expanded dining facilities.

There are also plans to develop a recreational club called The Southampton Club, which will offer a wide array of amenities, including squash, pool, exercise facilities and an expanded spa.

The construction of condo-hotel "fractional accommodations" (where people own a portion of a unit) are also in the works as part of the consortium's development plans for the 32-acre property.

The fractional accommodations will also help make tourists repeat visitors to the hotel, according to Mr. Worden.

"With fractional accommodations, you're building in repeat customers" by allowing them to own a portion of it, he said, adding, "it makes for a committed tourist, which is an incredible asset for Bermuda."

The Windwalker director is confident the hotel has a competitive edge in the market, as it's located in "one of the best sites on the island" and that the new, state-of-the art facilities and central location will add to the appeal of the beach-front resort.

He also said the dated facilities here have contributed to Bermuda having fallen behind other countries as a tourist destination in recent years - but it didn't have to be that way.

Mr. Worden has confidence that the island's reputation for friendliness, coupled with the hotel's development plans, will help put Bermuda back on the map, particularly in target tourist markets.

"There really isn't a new product [in the luxury hotel market] out there," he said. "We've listened to tourists … they want new construction … new buildings."

He also said marketing would focus on its target market - Baby Boomers from the northeast U.S. and the U.K. - in its bid to stay competitive among rivals.

With the redevelopment, Wyndham will try to evoke a social, family-friendly atmosphere where people can meet, Mr. Worden said.

"I've spoken to people who say that at some hotels, there's just no way for a family to meet another nice family," he said.

"We want to make it a place where the next generation of children will come back."

He noted that Lehman Brothers has a long-term commitment to Bermuda, and also that he and his family are committed visitors of the resort.

"My wife and her family were here when she was a child," he said, displaying an old picture of his wife as a little girl, posing with the wait staff, clad in baby-blue uniforms with black trim.

"Bermuda has a great history of service … a history as a great destination," he noted.

Mr. Worden wouldn't give a timetable as to when all the developments would be complete, saying only that the priority now was on keeping the hotel open, and on providing the best possible service to its visitors.

Despite the extensive nature of the renovations and construction project, there are no plans to periodically close the resort again in the future, Mr. Worden said.

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