300-Room Hotel to be Constructed at Holland Bay in St. Thomas

Ground is to be broken soon for the construction of a 300-room hotel at Holland Bay in eastern St. Thomas.
This was on August 12, by State Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Transport, Water and Works, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, who is also Member of Parliament for the area.
Opening the annual Bath Breadfruit Festival at the Bath Primary and Junior High school in the parish, Dr. Ferguson said the project would not only create a major economic transformation of Holland Bay and the surrounding areas, but would also revive the famous Bath Hotel and Spa and once again place St. Thomas on the island’s tourism destination map.
“Phase one of the hotel will be the construction of 60 rooms, while phase two will be 240 rooms. We expect that this will make a major difference in St. Thomas, because the training needs, especially hospitality training, would become a critical factor in satisfying the manpower needs of the hotel,” he said.
Citing the once famous Bath Botanical Gardens and Spa, the State Minister said that the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) has indicated an interest to come in and invest in the development of the attraction.
“They have indicated to me that if we clean up the front of the gardens and the verges, they will come in and invest in its development. I don’t think we can afford to lose out on this possibility,” he said. Dr. Ferguson added that with the implementation of several projects, including a new police station, for which ground would be broken in October; the rehabilitation of the Bath to Barret Gap main road by mid-September, the building of a mini stadium in Bath and the expected start-up of works for the building of the Yallahs Bridge by mid-September, the parish was set to benefit economically and developmentally.
“I believe that St. Thomas has its own challenges but I am heartened by the fact that there are opportunities that the parish’s residents can take advantage of, to transform their lives,” he said.
The festival highlights the introduction and planting of the first breadfruit tree in the island at the Bath Botanical Gardens and the fact that the Spa is the second oldest in the Caribbean.