The contract to begin a $90 million expansion to a resort on the outer island of San Salvador was signed yesterday.
The government, along with the Club Med executives signed the heads of agreement, which in turn will see the expansion of the Columbus Isle location, creating hundreds of jobs and a projected revenue of over $100 million.

Officials from the European based hotel brand as well as cabinet ministers were welcomed to the hotel in grand style through Junkanoo and the friendly smiles of the resort’s employees.

Once complete, there will be 360 new luxury condo hotel units, all of which will be built in phases with the first opening as early as next summer.

Sand & Ocean Investments also plans to construct a 125-room boutique to be managed by another European luxury resort operator.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Perry Christie, who praised Club Med executives for their proven business potential, invited them to build more hotels throughout the Family Islands.

“I know two islands that I would like to see you all expand to,” he said.

“The credentials and operations of Club Med are well known to us, having pioneered the now popular all inclusive resort concept and having at one time operated three Club Med villages on Paradise Island, Eleuthera and San Salvador. With 71 locations around the world, your success within The Bahamas and our country’s reputation as a premier destination, I know that you can handle another two islands.”

It’s expected that there will be around 335 jobs available during the construction phase and 250 once it is complete.
Deputy Prime Minister and San Salvador Member of Parliament (MP) Philip Davis said there’s “nothing more important than getting Bahamians back to work,” which is why the government has been working so closely with Club Med.

“This partnership between the government and Club Med is making hundreds of new jobs on San Salvador a reality,” he said.
“We are working to expand opportunities to Family Islands and have an aggressive plan to create jobs in the Family Islands with new investments like in Bimini, Eleuthera, Cat Island and other Islands.”

Club Med CEO Xavier Mugraffi said with 71 locations in 25 countries, the company is doing well, which explains their reasons for wanting to expand.

“This expansion and renovation will be important to put the resort back where it used to be as the past flagship premier property around the world,” he said.

“The project will have the complete refurbishment of all our rooms, construction of a new spa, which will require more clientele and a lot of refurbishments in the direct center of the village.”

The expansion will call for work to be done to San Salvador’s Cockburn Town Airport as well as its roads, which Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin promises to address in the near future.

As Club Med officials prepare to make the San Salvador location its main resort, they anticipate all the work to be complete within the next four years.