The Grand Cayman Marriott Resort is set to begin a room-renovation project, as the hotel grapples with ongoing issues around beach erosion at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach.
“We are extremely concerned about the beach situation, however our room product needs an update,” Hermes Cuello, Grand Cayman Marriott Resort general manager, told the Cayman Compass following queries about the planned renovation.
No closures planned
Last year, Cuello said the Marriott was considering a $30 million renovation, but with the challenges impacting the coastline, that plan was in jeopardy at the time.
The hotel did not provide an updated expected cost for the room renovations, saying the project was in the procurement stage.
The work is due to begin in May, with the goal of completing it by the end of the year. Cuello said there are no plans to close the resort while the upgrades are carried out.
“We will renew all guest rooms. Public spaces will remain as they are,” he explained.
The renovation, called ‘Re-Imagine Grand Cayman Marriott,’ will see the hotel’s 15 junior suites gain a partition, to divide the bed from the sitting area.
Plans also include four new family rooms with bunk beds and upgrades to the bathrooms, along with improvements to the rooms’ soft furnishings.
These additions, the hotel said, will see room capacity increase by two, from 299 to 301.
The hotel will also modernise its aesthetic to include colours “from Grand Cayman’s natural environment of clear blue waters and white sandy beaches”.
Beach erosion factor
Back in 2021 government said it would allocate $21 million to restore the beach over two years. This included a $1 million budget for a business case and feasibility study to be undertaken in 2022, and $20 million for the project, if approved, to be carried out.
That project is yet to be finalised; Cuello said government has indicated it is working on a plan.
However while that is in train, he said, the hotel has to move forward with its plans saying that “the renovation will target our guestrooms only”.
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