The Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa will open its doors on schedule in six months’ time, Island Hotels Group managing director Winston V Zahra said yesterday.
Speaking during a visit by Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech as well as Labour MPs Evarist Bartolo and Joseph Cuschieri, Mr Zahra expressed satisfaction that the work on the hotel, which began on 26 August 2003 following several weeks of demolition, was on schedule and is planned to be ready by the targeted date.
Mr Zahra said the vast majority of the construction work had already been carried out by the 200 employees working on site. These are mainly involved in construction, mechanical and engineering trades. Vassallo Builders have been entrusted with the construction of this resort.
It took around four weeks to demolish the previous hotel and construction work started in August 2003. The project will consist of three blocks and two reception areas. The Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa will have 283 rooms – 118 one-bedroom suites, 73 two-bedroom suites and 92 standard twin rooms. The rooms have been designed to be spacious and furnished tastefully.
In fact, the hotel is expected to be unique due to its location and its spacious rooms. An average hotel room is 35 square metres while the average room at the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa will be 75 square metres.
Not all the rooms will be rented out like any other hotel. This resort will have an element of vacation ownership whereby people can buy rooms for periods of time every year for 40 years. 30 rooms have been allocated for this purpose. Others are allocated for conference and incentives and the rest for high-end leisure guests. The hotel will have an 800-square metre spa.
It is understood that the hotel management is already receiving bookings for when it opens its doors. This booking pattern was described as “very healthy”.
Mr Zahra said that in the 18 years that Island Hotels Group has been in operation, it had invested an average of Lm2.5 million every year. After this hotel is opened, the group’s total number of employees would rise to over 1,250 since the new hotel will be employing more than 250 people.
He also remarked that some people think of the group as crazy for investing in an industry which is not doing so well at the moment. He shrugged off this comment by saying: “The group believes in Malta and its potential in the tourism industry. Coupled with the group’s courage and determination, we will see this project to the end in the best interests of the local economy.”
When asked, Mr Zahra said the group did not want to disclose the amount it was investing in the hotel. However, in the information pack it gave journalists about the project, it said it was investing Lm13 million.
On his part, Dr Zammit Dimech said there were 16 projects on hotels or hotel extensions currently under way in Malta with a total investment of around Lm50 million. He said these projects will increase the bed stock in Malta by 2,554 – 412 in five-star hotels, 2,012 in four-star hotels and 130 in three-star hotels. Nearly 2,000 of these beds will be available this year. Moreover, he said, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had granted the necessary permits for the development of self-catering clusters, involving an additional investment of Lm3 million.
Dr Zammit Dimech referred to Mr Bartolo’s comment that the government and opposition had to work together to draw up a national plan for the tourism industry. He said he agreed that there was the need for such a plan and added that the Malta Tourism Authority has already been commissioned to draw up this plan.