The larger hotels in Anguilla are now beginning to reopen after Hurricane Irma with the first for 2018 being Zemi Beach House, Resort & Spa at Shoal Bay East. Zemi Beach reopened on Thursday, January 15, after a period of refurbishment followed by the interviewing, hiring and training of employees who, in the days running up to the reopening, busily did their own share of cleaning and other preparatory work. They posed and smiled for the camera as they worked, saying: “We are glad to be back.”
Mr. Jeffrey Goldstein, of the Goldstein Family Partnership, the resort’s developer, and the General Manager, Mr. Paulo Paias, have both expressed delight with the reopening of the luxury property gracing one of the world’s best ocean fronts.
The elevated resort, with stunning views, a main infinity pool at the front as well as beach bar and restaurant facilities, is built in an historical and much celebrated area of Anguilla. It is nestled among cliffs of limestone rock and a mass of natural foliage, along with an abundance of attractive gardens of flowering and ornamental tropical plant life. Passenger carts run up and down the cascading roads ferrying visitors and employees across the length and breadth of the property.
Mr. Goldstein told The Anguillian that the reopening of the hotel followed a reconstruction period. “Our air-conditioning system sustained some hurricane damage. We replaced a number of the air conditioners on the roofs and a lot of our electronics were affected by salt damage,” he explained. “The reconstruction work also gave us time to repaint the hotel. We were very fortunate as my General Manager foresaw the hurricane coming and we prepared ourselves. Prior to the hurricane, we boarded up and put everything away so, unlike some of the other hotels that sustained more damage than we did, we were pretty much protected. It was really smart.”
Mr. Paias commented that, as the General Manger, he lost no time in protecting the hotel as it was generally believed that the hurricane would hit Anguilla. “I said it was better to be safe than sorry,” he added.
Mr. Goldstein said that following the closure of Zemi Beach, after the hurricane, the employees in the maintenance department were retained as well as some of the kitchen staff and a number of bellmen to assist them in maintaining the resort. In all, there were some thirty employees engaged in that work during the months of September 2017 through January 2018.
The developer was asked about the possibility for Zemi Beach remaining open throughout this year as part of an effort to encourage a year-round tourism season in Anguilla. “We probably will not be open in September and October because we want to finish what we started. For example, Building 6 was supposed to be finished this year but the hurricane threw us back. We will probably use the fall of this year to finish those major projects. Knowing what the hurricane did us we will probably close September and October to see what happens and reopen on October 22. Building 6, another condominium suite, adds 18 more rooms to the property’s current 65 rooms.”
Mr. Goldstein continued: “Since the hurricane, I have been to Anguilla like every other week. We put a lot more vegetation landscaping in the development, but we didn’t lose a lot. The spa took the biggest hit and we have re-done the roofs there, so the spa looks even newer than it looked as an old building. Honestly, I think the hotel looks nicer before the hurricane. I think we put a lot of work in it. I am very, very happy with how it looks.”
Asked about the number of persons employed at the reopening of the resort, Mr. Goldstein replied: “We have been rehiring staff and the full complement depends on the reservations we are getting. We have about 20 percent occupancy for the month of February and we will start picking up more occupancy in March which will be a heavier month. We have interviewed and brought back 110 employees.”
Had it not been for the hurricane, Zemi Beach, like other hotels in Anguilla, would have been in a better position to organise an early marketing and sales programme for the current tourism season. “Because we didn’t know when we were reopening – you usually need about ninety days in advance of marketing – we had been slow to market, and that’s why March has a better occupancy than February,” Mr. Goldstein explained. “But then, again, we expected February to be a soft start for the hotel. This is really good because we are bringing on some new employees and a lot of old employees, so the new employees will learn how we manage the hotel until we get the March people here.”
Now that the hotel has reopened it will basically continue the same type of entertainment and other events of last year, but this will be done very slowly until occupancy increases, according to Mr. Paias, the General Manager.
Mr. Goldstein observed that other hotels would be opening after Zemi Beach. “I know Four Seasons is opening in March [23] and I heard The Reef is opening on April 1,” he stated. “We all are coming back on line. All the hotel owners are talking and we are sharing information with each other and helping each other get open. It is important for Four Seasons and the Reef to open right behind us because we need the air traffic with more people coming through the ports.”
He lamented that access to Anguilla was a huge problem. He noted that Blowing Point Port, without a passenger terminal and other fixed accommodations, did not present a good image to visitors arriving from St. Maarten. He wondered whether it would not be possible “for us to bring our guests to Anguilla through other locations than Blowing Point.” He felt that “there is no reason why Blowing Point has to be the location for visitors to be brought to Anguilla,” and thought Island Harbour had a better view than Blowing Point. “It is a pretty area and not a lot of people go to Island Harbour because they don’t know where it is, and Island Harbour is on our side,” he went on. “I know there are other venues that visitors can come to Anguilla on the west side, which would be easier for Four Seasons, CuisinArt and Belmond Cap Juluca. Blowing Point should not be the only way into this island.”
Mr. Goldstein was delighted that Zemi Beach is among other hotels involved in the Anguilla Stronger relief assistance programme – as part of the island’s hurricane recovery process. “Roy and Beth Shanholtz from Starwood Capital, Four Seasons and I, spoke about finding ways to raise money other than through the websites out there,” he recalled. “Quite honestly, it was Starwood’s idea to create Anguilla Stronger. They helped us incorporate it and made it a funnel for us to raise money. We raised quite a bit from our friends and on their side Starwood and Four Seasons raised a tremendous amount. Belmond Cap Juluca and Malliouhana-Auberge have also been a part of it – not as large as Starwood. Hats off to Starwood for what they did. Our employees are helping them over there, but without Starwood it really would not have come to fruition. They did a great job.
“We are now waiting on the construction supplies to arrive in Anguilla. I know there are people in need who have given us their names at this hotel, Four Seasons, and the other two hotels. If others haven’t, they should reach out and contact the Anguilla Stronger representatives at the hotels. Those supplies are coming.”
Zemi Beach and the other three hotels have been praised throughout Anguilla for their contributions to the recovery efforts on the island. Their current or planned reopening and the employment of many Anguillians are a long-expected desire for employees and their families.
