Ricardo Perez: “A lot of places will recover faster than they did after Luis”

GREAT BAY – The hotel industry in St. Maarten has been hit hard by Hurricane Irma. It will probably take until the end of 2018 before the sector is fully operational again, says Ricardo Perez, general manager of the Oyster Bay Beach Resort and treasurer on the executive board of the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association. Until that time there is a transition period: “I think we will see a gradual reopening of accommodations.”

By Hilbert Haar

Like many other projects, the Oyster Bay Beach Resort has also sustained serious damages. Overall, the situation is bad, Perez says. “Ninety percent of the room inventory has some sort of damage – from major to medium. At our resort, 80 percent has been damaged. I asked our employees about their situation. Out of one hundred workers, only fifteen said that they had no damages at all.” The resort in Oyster Pond has 180 rooms and 26 private condominiums.

Photo caption: There is plenty to clean up at the Oyster Bay Marina near the Oyster Bay Beach Resort. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

With Hurricane Irma behind us, Perez says that three topics ought to be a priority right now: safety and security, cleanup and sanitation.

Ricardo Perez about the state of the hotel industry

“I think that a lot of places will recover faster than they did after Hurricane Luis in 1995. This was of course an exceptional storm, but we were better prepared and we were not as vulnerable as we were at the time of Luis.”

In the aftermath of the hurricane not all hotels are closed down. Perez mentions from the top of his head seven places that are either open for business or that have made rooms available for military personnel and Marechaussee: Baker Suites, the Atrium, Divi Little Bay, Simpson Bay Resort, Royal Islander, Royal Palm Islander, Royal Palm and the Oyster Bay Beach Resort.

Hurricane Irma has relentlessly exposed what type of construction is not fit for a country located in a hurricane belt, Perez says. “Look at the effect on cheap warehousing; you get what you pay for.”

Photo caption: The management team at Oyster Bay Beach Resort. From left assistant general manager Anne-Marie Brooks, general manager Ricardo Perez and director of human resources Mientje Brown. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

Some hotels will choose to open partially once they are ready for it, Perez expects. “But everybody had to make his own evaluation.”

The Holland House in Philipsburg is one example. According to Paul Boetekees, there are currently thirteen inhabitable rooms, but because the hotel’s roof took a hit (and has been replaced by a temporary roof), he does not consider it safe for receiving guests right now.

Holland House aims to have a proper roof in place by the beginning of November. “We aim to reopen on November 11,” Boetekees says, adding with a smile: “Opening on an official holiday, wouldn’t that be something?”

Perez in the meantime is also looking beyond the property he is managing. Next door Busby’s and The Great House have been completely destroyed, but according to Perez, Busby has fired his manager and left for the United States. There is no cleanup activity at these properties.

“It is important not to have a repeat of Mullet Bay,” Perez says. “When we reopen and guests arrive they do not want to see that mess. The government has to put pressure on business owners who are not cleaning up their property, because they become a health hazard and also a visual hazard.”

At Oyster Bay Beach Resort staff members are busy cleaning up all day long. “The quicker we clean, the faster we can send in a contractor,” Perez says. “But no matter what we do, we have a period of hardship ahead of us. At the same time we have to prevent that our island becomes a welfare state.”

Photo caption: An uplifting message on a whiteboard in the makeshift office of the Oyster Bay Beach Resort. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

So what lies ahead? Perez: “I would love to see a national cleanup day whereby everybody participates. We also need more heavy equipment for the cleanup. And we need beach cleaning equipment, because we have to protect our tourism product. That’s good for the environment and will also have an effect on health and safety.”

Part of these initiatives ought to be testing the water at all beaches. “Check which ones are safe and which ones are contaminated. I hear that the SLS lab is functioning, so commission the water testing to them.”

Other photos taken by TODAY photographer, Milton Pieters.