The Riu Paradise Island Resort opened on Saturday as promised after it closed earlier this year as the former Sheraton Grand Resort.<\/P><\/p>\n
The property was shut down following a transfer of ownership to Riu Hotels and Resorts, a family owned resort chain based in Mallorca, Spain.<\/P><\/p>\n
Tourism officials say the resort\uffb4s opening on Paradise Island is both timely and welcome, as local hotels embark upon the winter season.<\/P><\/p>\n
Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said yesterday that the opening of the resort is significant.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93It enhances the Paradise Island product because it provides some diversity,\uff92 he told the Bahama Journal. \uff93The access that we will have to the European market will help us in a significant way.\uff92<\/P><\/p>\n
Minister Wilchcombe also said that The Bahamas is expected to take off with the European market when Virgin Airlines starts service from London next year.<\/P><\/p>\n
He also pointed out that Riu is providing more than 300 permanent jobs for Bahamians and additional job opportunities for other Bahamians, including entertainers.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93I think that\uffb4s wonderful so some of the Bahamian entertainers get some opportunities,\uff92 he said.<\/P><\/p>\n
The family-oriented Riu Resort has other benefits, he noted.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93It\uffb4s providing exposure to The Bahamas not only with the present generation, but generations that will be travelling on their own in the future,\uff92 Minister Wilchcombe said.<\/P><\/p>\n
Riu officials have in the past expressed excitement over coming to The Bahamas.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93The Bahamas [is] know for [its] hospitality, so it is natural that Riu, a leader in the hospitality industry, should offer travellers a welcoming resort in this top destination,\uff92 Miguel Violan, director of communications of Riu Hotels and Resorts has said. <\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93Riu Paradise Island is in the perfect location; directly on the beach, walking distance to Atlantis and less than two miles away from all the shopping in Nassau.\uff92<\/P><\/p>\n
Riu, a European chain, capitalizes on stunning beachfront locations in prime destinations around the world. Its latest addition on Paradise Island is a 379 room, all-inclusive resort with all the amenities. <\/P><\/p>\n
The nearby mystical themed Atlantis Resort, operated by Kerzner International, is being used as a strong selling tool, with potential guests being told that its just 328 feet away from the hotel\uffb4s Paradise Island Casino. <\/P><\/p>\n
Its executives have said that although the hotel property is five-star, the factor that catapults its value as a vacation establishment is its proximity to the Atlantis Resort.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93The Atlantis Resort and Casino is seen as the most important recreational centre and resort in the Caribbean,\uff92 a press statement from the hotel said. <\/P><\/p>\n
Today, Riu operates 110 resorts around the world with 23 of them being in the Caribbean region.<\/P><\/p>\n
Dianne Okpuno, Riu front office manager, told the Bahama Journal on Saturday that the first day went well.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93It\uffb4s an all-inclusive hotel so all of your meals and beverages are included and it\uffb4s truly a wonderful property,\uff92 she said. \uff93I urge my fellow Bahamians to come over and take a look at it because it\uffb4s really different.\uff92<\/P><\/p>\n
She said officials were finishing off some cosmetic additions to the property as 80 guests were expected.<\/P><\/p>\n
The Grand had suffered major damage during Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Hurricane Michele in 2001.Employees were out of work for up to six months on both occasions.<\/P><\/p>\n
The Bahama Journal<\/B><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Riu officials have in the past expressed excitement over coming to The Bahamas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headlines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246303\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}