Charlestown, Nevis-During his 2019 budget presentation made on Wednesday 5th December, Premier of Nevis, Hon. Mark Brantley made the startling revelation that the prestigious five star Resort on Nevis—The Four Seasons Resort, will close its door to the public for the period June to September 2019.
Premier Brantley indicated that his administration had had lengthy and productive talks with the Resort management, when it was announced that there would be major repairs at the hotel, following the hotel’s acquisition by new owners.
At that time the commitment was made by the hotel that it would not close its doors during the renovation process.
However, sadly, during the ongoing renovation works, there have been numerous guests’ complaints, which have put the Hotel and by extension, the island of Nevis in a poor light.
Due to the fact that there will be even more extensive renovations planned for 2019, the hotel has taken the decision to close the Resort for the aforementioned period, which albeit is normally a slow period for the hotel, but significantly would force approximately 400 of the 730 strong staff members, out of employment for that period of time.
Premier Brantley however committed his administration to helping the workers through the tough period and admonished them to make the best of the upcoming busy period, which is projected to see unprecedented numbers of guests staying at the Resort between December 2018 and May 2019.
He urged the workers to work as many hours as they can and save, save, save.
He also noted that the hotel owners have made a commitment to pay the workers 25% of their usual wage during the period, even if they seek another means of employment in the interim.