by Curlan Campbell, NOW Grenada
- Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas will be built near the pristine La Sagesse Beach
- La Sagesse will include two luxury 5-star hotels
- St David will become the second tourism capital in Grenada
Grenada’s Citizenship By Investment (CIB) programme is likened to that of United Arab Emirates CIB programme for its expediency in completing the transaction that will see the construction of two 5-star hotels in the next 4 years, starting with the Six Senses La Sagesse resort project.
The first of two Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas is slated to open in 2022, part of the latest luxury hospitality projects in the Caribbean by Range Developments, under Citizenship by Investment.
Acquired by the InterContinental Hotels Group in February, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas will be built near the pristine La Sagesse Beach overlooking two beaches and a lake which is considered perfect, considering that the hotel is big on the promotion of health and wellness.
According to the company, La Sagesse will include two luxury 5-star hotels, along with oceanfront villas, spas, retail and water sports facilities that will see the parish of St David becoming the second tourism capital in Grenada.
Managing Director and Member of the Board of Range Developments, Mohammed Asaria, commended the Government of Grenada for effectively operating an efficient CIB programme.
“Notwithstanding Christmas and the Easter Holiday, it took us only 4 months to conclude the transaction. Living in the UAE, which is known for its pro-business approach, the expediency at which we were able to execute our transaction was impressive. Prime Minister you run an efficient and effective government,” said Asaria.
Government ministers, officials from Range Developments and specially invited guests, marked the coming of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas to Grenada, at the project initiation ceremony held at SilverSands Grenada on Friday, 23 August.
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas have been voted the world’s best hotel brand by Travel + Leisure for two consecutive years. All 100 rooms at the Six Senses La Sagesse, Grenada will enjoy sea views with private plunge pools. The architecture is designed to complement and blend into the environment, ensuring total relaxation and tranquillity.
Range Developments also designed the Park Hyatt St Kitts, which opened on November 2017, and is currently developing the Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski in Dominica, slated to open in November. From its inception in 1995, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas have made sustainability and environmental protection mandatory within their operations and are considered industry leaders in developing sustainable resorts.
“Minister, you would be glad to know that all their resorts are LED certified. On site there is a compulsion that there must be drinking water bottling plants, and a farm-to-table philosophy is integrated into the design concept of the hotel. With Six Senses we will create the exceptional in St David and I can only recall the passion when I first met Six Senses, about the way they recounted the guest experience and whether it is selecting eggs from the farm on your way top breakfast, some of the unique experiences incorporated into the spa or the way they encourage guests to engage in community tourism. It is this passion for guest satisfaction and creating memories that we believe Six Senses is the right brand for the island of Grenada,” Asaria explained.
As part of its corporate social responsibility, the luxury resort will set aside 1% of their revenue towards funding community service projects with its staff at the helm as well as to providing hospitality scholarships. Range’s corporate social responsibility programme is said to be centred around children, families, entrepreneurs across communities in which they operate and in the next few weeks, they are expected to distribute school bags and wheelchairs as the first initiative on the island.
The hotel developers are also boasting of creating between 500-600 local jobs through the construction phase of the project and, once operational, there is also the promise of skills transfer and entrepreneurial opportunity.
Asaria said the hotel will also ensure that local producers are engaged to supply the needs of the hotel. “Reliance on import must be a fading strategy and as soon as six sense is operations are starting up, we will connect with all categories of producers so the local supply chain can be as effective as possible.”
Preconstruction studies, environmental assessment, and soil tests are complete with the design of the building currently advancing, with part of the site cleared in preparation for site mobilisation to commence in the next 60 days. Asaria said announcements will be made with regards to the establishment of the second hotel project in coming months, as proposals are currently being finalised.
Minister for Economic Development, Trade, Planning, and Cooperatives and MP for St David, Oliver Joseph was particularly pleased to see that the parish of St David stands to benefit greatly from this project. “I am pleased to say that we have found the 12 acres of land for the next hotel that is going to be built in St David. So, within the next four years, we will have two 5-star hotels. We have, as you know one of the best Citizenship By Investment programmes and Grenada is the ideal location for Investment,” said Minister Joseph.
Range’s flagship project, Park Hyatt St. Kitts was voted the best new hotel in the Caribbean by CNN. Their second project, the Cabrits Resort and Spa Kempinski, Dominica has been named “the most exciting new property set to open in 2019” by the Caribbean Journal.
Investments are good but we dont want too much hotels build in Grenada to spoiled it. Citizen by investment is a bad program. Paid citizenship! Who does that? The Caribbean heads come together and sit down in the meetings put they head together and planned that shift.
Grenada is one of the top money laundering island in the Caribbean. SHAME! and they know they can bring their money here to invest get 25 years free concessions which is totally wrong. It should be two years. Grenada needs money, dumb Prime minister. He and his minister get a cut full his pocket. They are praising him because they know what they can get here. Diplomat passport is wrong Too many sold citizenship, Too many ambassadors.
Jobs given to locals are temporary. Also the locals who work in the hotel industry are under paid. They want to come and take our island making us local remain poor. We need a real comansence Grenadian to take care of our island and people. Our roads are terrible example BBC, Lake Revera rd need to be paved. Create jobs for our locals, invest in them, send the overseas and pay for their education bring them to grenada to have implement systems, build hotels also instead of giving the opportunities to foreigners (non Grenadian). Black people need to stand up and fight. Don’t talk about the hospital and mental hospital. That’s a joke for the government. They want tourist to come to Grenada! All what they care about is how much money he can make Dr Keith Mitchell. Bribe is local Grenadians and they do believe him with sweet charm.
Dictatorship! All take your free stuff any day but I am not that stupid. Other groups of people such Asian, European think black people are stupid, dumb, uneducated and that’s why they like to go invest islands I the Caribbean because they can all the perks from they government, pay thousands of dollars for citizenship etc. What do they with the money and they stiil so in debt with IMF, has problems to pay his civil servants, and giving our people contract jobs so they don’t have to give benefits. PLEASE!
PEOPLE WAKE UP.
Investments are good!
Dont be jealous, St Davids is part of Grenada too. Too long St Georges was the highlight of the island. Now is St Davids time. Just be happy.its grenada
HI, ah why st,Davids?as am prod of the name you have st,George which is very close why not spread it out a bit to sauteurs etc???answer because there are many bueatiful places on that wonderful island
Tha excitement of more tourism in my Beautiful Island is sounding sweet…..I cannot at this time say I’m loving it….I see the temporary jobs but my concern is the Permanent ones..will there be enough training in every Avenue for these Hotels…will school and Graduates be encouraraged and introduced to The Hotel Industry.. who is undertaking this ….I woll pray for the best that our beautiful beach wont be soiled. .that our peaceful Island wont be spoilt..