The Sunshine Grill, a popular casual restaurant in Grand Cayman, will reopen later this year as part of a “re-brand, re-positioning and complete renovation” of what was previously known as Sunshine Suites.
When the hotel – which closed in March – reopens on 1 June, the Sunshine Hotel & Suites will unveil 66 renovated suites as the first part of the three-phase renovation scheduled for completion by December of this year.
Jim Mauer, managing director of The Westin Grand Cayman and The Sunshine Hotel & Suites, commented on the transformation the property will undergo.
“The core strategy was to bring a whole new product to the market, but at the same time, maintain our island-flair character, local-first approach, and CaymanKind brand personality that the local community knows and loves,” he said.
“This brand-new upscale offering, coupled with a new fitness centre and access to all of Westin’s amenities for stayover guests, will see this property become the best in its category, among smaller short- and long-stay Cayman hotels and resorts.”
The first phase of the $30 million renovation involved a major transformation of all 66 suites in the east-facing building. The second and third phases will involve the renovation of the hotel lobby, all 66 suites in the west-facing building, as well as an enhanced Sunshine Grill.
One part of that enhancement includes the indoor part of the restaurant being air-conditioned, which was not the case previously.
“We’re very careful with what we’re doing with Sunshine Grill,” Mauer said.
“We’re elevating it a little bit, but we still want to keep the nuance that makes it lightning in a bottle and such a special place.
“We all know that the visitors love to be outside and locals love to be inside. So we want to make sure we meet that need with the air conditioning inside.”
Previously, the outdoor dining was on the pool deck, but that won’t be the case when the restaurant reopens.
“We’ll have an outdoor dining area that’s separate from the pool deck, to give the pool deck its own space,” Mauer said.
Filling market niches
The hotel, which offers single rooms, one-bedroom suites and two-bedroom suites, serves several niches in the market, one for longer-stay tourists, one for new residents and one for transient businesspeople, Mauer said, noting that new hires in Cayman’s financial services industry will often stay up to a month when they first arrive on the island while they find a place of their own.
“It’s an important part of our business,” Mauer said, adding that tourists and people who come for specific business purposes round out the target markets.
When it comes to tourists, the demographic is very similar to the sister property, The Westin Grand Cayman, Mauer said.
“It is the Westin customer that may stay a little longer, be a little more frugal,” he said, noting that while they might have the money to afford the Westin rates, they choose to “spend it in different areas on the island, as opposed to a hotel room”.
Another reason some customers choose Sunshine Hotel over the Westin is the length of their stay: The Westin customer typically stays four to seven days while the average for Sunshine Hotel is about 12 days, Mauer said.
Because Sunshine Hotel & Suites and Sunshine Grill tap into so many different markets, Mauer says it holds a special place in Cayman’s hospitality sector.
“It is a true staple of the local culture. Sunshine Suites and Sunshine Grill are near and dear to people’s hearts,” Mauer said, adding that the renovation project is an important project for the ownership group and that once completed, the Sunshine Hotel & Suites is going to be “a very, very nice addition to the market”.
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