On the eve of Cayman unlocking its borders, owners of the islands’ newest boutique resort also threw open their doors, in anticipation of phase 4 of government’s reopening plan.
Even with restrictions on travel with children and limited airlift in place, those at Black Urchin are hoping Christmas will still mean big business for reservations.
“It’s been a [long] time coming, with the border closure for [20] months now, but we’re really excited that we’re moving in the right direction,” Jessica Simone, one of the owners at Black Urchin told the Cayman Compass at the opening event on Friday, 19 Nov.
The Bodden Town Road resort was initially set to open a year ago, but then COVID-19 hit and additional challenges followed for the property which is under the Luxury Cayman Villas portfolio, started by Ken and Molly Thomas.
It may look like a risk to some in this climate, but for Simone and the Thomases, the boutique resort is an ambition realised.
“We’re really trying to invest in this island, invest in the beautiful landscape we have and just bring a new, exciting project to Grand Cayman,” Simone said.
Similar to other tourism properties on island, they too took a big hit when the borders closed last year, she said.
“We were in a great growth phase, having over 20 employees, and unfortunately we had to undergo layoffs, like many companies on island,” she recounted.
Simone said the team hopes the reopening will turn things around.
However, she said, there are some challenges ahead.
“The issue that we’re facing, [and] I think many hospitality providers are, with stayover tourism, is the airlines. Right now, we have guests reaching out as far as February and even March cancelling their stays with us because they’re not able to get on flights,” she lamented.
Added to that is the requirement for unvaccinated children to quarantine.
“That kind of excludes that multi-generational family that is really our target market,” she added.
The resort features two private residences, with six and seven bedrooms each, and a separate four-bedroom suite building.
Black Urchin also has a staffed welcome centre and full catering kitchen run by Chef Remy. The interior of all the properties was designed by Molly Thomas and features modern, yet homely furnishing in every room.
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