Found this online at the Jamaica Observer:

WESTERN BUREAU - "Butch" Stewart has admitted that contractors' inability to complete the new Sandals Whitehouse Resort in time for Thursday's planned opening would damage the all-inclusive chain's image and cost it millions of dollars in revenue. However, he was optimistic that the resort group could overcome the setback.

"It is going to do a lot of harm, but we are going to have to work our way through it," Stewart told journalists at the resort in Westmoreland Thursday.

"It is very disappointing. We saw it happening and we put out all the cautions. At the same time, we play the cards we are dealt with, so we will get there, we will fix it."


STEWART. it is going to do a lot of harm, but we are going to have to work our way through it
The group has already started damage control by offering free stays at any Sandals resort to the 600 visitors who have so far booked vacations at Sandals Whitehouse.
Sandals operates more than 14 resorts on six Caribbean islands.

Stewart said he had already spoken to some of his guests, and while they had a few issues, they were basically happy because they were being compensated.

"They are getting free accommodation at any Sandals Resort the next time they visit, so a lot of them are quite pleased," Stewart said.

The 360-room Sandals Whitehouse, a planned five-star resort, was to have been opened on Thursday. But only 180 rooms were ready to receive guests. In addition, furniture had not yet been assembled in 100 rooms; light and other fixtures were still to be installed; the gymnasium and spa were incomplete; and none of the resort's seven restaurants and six bars were 100 per cent ready. In addition, the property has to be receiving water from the water ministry's Rapid Response Unit.

"It is not to our standard," said Sandals' director of operations, Brian Roper. "It is very difficult to serve a five-star meal in a two-star setting."

The project, which started over four years ago, is a joint venture between the National Investment Bank of Jamaica, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and Stewart's company, GorStew Limited.

The UDC is the project manager.

Initially the resort, valued at US$75 million, was slated for completion in March 2003. But that was rescheduled for early this year.

Stewart said that if it weren't for Prime Minister P J Patterson, the problem would have been worse.

"I must tell you something," he said. "The prime minister has had a tremendous interest in this resort, and he has given more help in seeing that the contractors improve or speed up the work. Frankly, if it wasn't for him, it would be a lot worse." Stewart said.

Sandals' director of communications Leo Lambert could not put a dollar figure on the losses to the chain. However, he said it would cost the group millions of dollars.

"We. have to see how the things unfold," said Lambert, "we have to see how quickly whatever has to be done is done. But make no mistake about it, all the 600 guests that we have to compensate in terms of giving back holidays is going to cost money."

Lambert also said that the brand would suffer internationally because they had given a commitment but could not honour it in keeping with their reputation.

He made it clear that with the exception of certain aspects of the design, the Sandals group was not responsible for the construction of the resort.

"Our association with it happens to be in two forms," he explained. "We have an equity stake in the operations by virtue of a cash injection, and the land on which the physical plant has been constructed was in our domain. The second association is in the management of the hotel, but I want to make it categorically clear that we were in no way involved in the physical construction of the hotel. We were not in any way associated with the financial arrangements, we were not involved with the logistics and in the overall planning of the physical plant. Yes, we gave advice in terms of some of the specs, but that was the extent of our involvement."

Despite the setbacks, Stewart said he was heartened by the professionalism displayed by the staff.

"The staff have had the least amount of training than at any resort we have ever opened," he said. "So, to see the way that they are behaving and responding in that professional manner shows the kind of quality of human material that we have here. So I am very impressed and I am very happy."