The beachfront hotel joins a small collection of five-star establishments, including Six Senses, Silversands and Calabash, a Relais and Chateaux member.
The tourism board is keen to emphasise, however, that this launch will not compromise Grenada’s reputation as one of the Caribbean’s least commercialised destinations.
“We hope never to see a 600-room hotel here,” Randall Dolland, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Grenada Tourism Authority, told TTG in London last week.
He went on to stress that – though the country welcomes luxury product – it won’t be copying the “all-inclusive, mass market” approach of its neighbouring Caribbean islands.
Grenada currently has informal guidelines regarding construction, including a ban on buildings that exceed the height of a mature coconut tree. However, because this rule isn’t legally binding, its enforcement relies on the political will of the Grenada Planning and Development Authority.
The government body is currently facing criticism, in fact, over its approval of Grenada National Resort – a 375-acre development that will feature a 17-storey hotel. Opponents argue that the project’s scale will clash with the natural landscape, while also inflicting strain on the island’s water grid.
But Dolland says that InterContinental Resort Grenada, which is one of the luxury hotel brand’s smallest properties at 120 keys, is unlikely to prompt backlash.
“We have integrated into the island,” he said, referring to its low-rise layout and biophilic architecture.
Dolland also emphasises that Grenada’s recent investment in luxury product will not compromise the relaxed atmosphere of the island. There are famously no private beaches, gated resorts or mega marinas, and very few restaurants enforce a dress code.
“You’re not going to see resorts with security everywhere – you just walk right in and there’s no distinction or differentiation between the outside world and the inside,” Dolland said.
What’s next?
In April, Stacey Liburd, former Chief Executive Officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority, told TTG she was “very uncomfortable” that the UK accounts for just 21% of the country’s visitors.
To boost these figures, Grenada has been targeting British and Irish tour operators and travel agencies through dedicated sales missions and fam trips. It has just completed its ‘Flavours of Grenada’ event in London, which highlighted the country’s trade and investment opportunities, and is now preparing to host a November ‘mega fam’ for agents from all over the world.
“The ultimate takeaway of this trip is not just seeing the hotels, but also the island,” Dolland said. “You must be at the destination to sell it. You can’t sell Pepsi if you’ve never tried it.”
Liburd also pointed to the Middle East war as an opportunity to “leverage traveller sentiment” by highlighting Grenada’s value proposition as a safe, accessible destination.
Dolland agrees, adding: “We have to take advantage of the geopolitical climate where travellers might not be going east.”
As part of Grenada’s mission to increase UK visitors by 10 to 15% year-on-year, the tourism board is also investing in the islands’ retail businesses.
“We have to raise visitor spending, and that goes back to making sure our local vendors are equipped with credit card machines,” Dolland said. “A majority still don’t have them, and if you don’t, your business will nosedive.”
