(CUOPM) The 64-room Frigate Bay Beach Hotel has been closed for renovation and will have 12 additional rooms when it is reopened. It closed on November 1st.
“The property will be completely refurbished. The conference room will be expanded and twelve rooms will be added from the current 64 bring it up to 76 rooms,” said a spokesman.
He said staff members have all received their benefits and will be free to re-apply to work in the refurbished property for reopening in January, 2015.
Recently, Minister of Tourism, Sen. the Hon. Richard Skerritt said there is need for more hotel rooms and welcomed the investment in the refurbishing of the Frigate Bay Beach Hotel and the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI).
OTI’s parent company, the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Trading and Development Company (TDC) in its recent annual report for 2012 said the upgrade of the resort at Fort lands, is to be done with financing from the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF).
The Directors said the company hired a consulting firm headed by an experienced and reputable former Caribbean hotelier to help stem the losses at the hotel and improve its operations.
The SIDF recently announced that it was lending US$5 million to OTI – the Federation’s oldest boutique hotel.
“The loan to the landmark hotel will include substantial improvements to the hotel plant, infrastructure and amenities and the use of state of the art green technology for energy conservation,” said the SIDF.
It added that the partnership reflects the confidence of TDC and SIDF in the future of the tourism sector as a key component of the country’s economy.
“In making the loan, SIDF is executing one of its purposes of supporting, financing or undertaking the development of new and existing industries, projects or enterprises,” the SIDF statement said.