Government officials will be meeting with someone on Thursday (today) who has shown interest in the running the Morocco-funded Cabrits Hotel and Spa in Portsmouth.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday tourism minister, Ian Douglas, said the facility is nearing completion. “Most of the major buildings are nearing completion,” he said. “Some more Moroccans have come down … more persons skilled in electrical, tiling and plumbing…so we are concentrating on that aspect.”
He said to date five individuals have expressed interest in managing the resort since the government has no interest in running it. “Tomorrow (Thursday) we will be having another person come in from overseas to look at the hotel to decide on managing it and running for us,” he pointed out. “So we are very happy so far on the progress and development of the Cabrits Resort and Spa.”
He noted that the expression of interest by all the individuals will be reviewed by a technical committee consist of personel from Discover Dominica, Invest Dominica and the prime minister’s office.
Douglas noted the committee will evaluate those expressions of interest “and see, based on the criteria the government has laid down, which one of those entities best meet and serve the interest of the government in the actual running and operating of the hotel.”
Upon completion the facility will include 58 rooms and 10 suites on a beachfront location in Portsmouth. It will also feature a conference facility for more than 100 people, a spa, a pool and restaurants.
The project has space for an additional 30 rooms on its 4.5-acre site.
The project has been touted as a ‘generous gift’ from the government of Morroco to Dominica and during a site visit last year Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit vowed that it will be completed by October, 2013 and “not one day later.”
He said that when the hotel becomes fully operational at least 100 Dominicans will be employed full time.
Official groundbreaking took place in September 2011.
No price tag has been placed on the project but it has been described as ‘multi-million dollar.’
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on weight loss tips.
Regards
Again…there is always a story behind the story.
Moroccan Govt gives a gift, except that gift has a dollar value attached.
Its like getting 100 dollars from your aunt to go buy tomatoes, buying 15 dollars worth of tomato and telling her there is no change left.
It is the same process these guys go through when they are building roads etc.
Plenty concrete eating.
Seriously where are you from? Do you know what a hotel operator does? Do some research. Also can you see how stagnant our accommodation sector is with not one high end branded hotel. Every island in the Caribbean has a few hotels operated by major operators and franchise line – Dominica needs that type of name behind some of its hotels. And from the horror some of us get when building our homes by local “reputable” contractors and so called professionals, people must start bringing in plumbers, electricians etc.
I am wondering what Your occupation is too! How would You like it if Dominicans imported People in Your line of work how elated would You be?
we building hotel and not an international AIRPORT? WTF, do you know how hard it is to find a flight to dominica? and when u do how much you have to pay?
So the answer to “finding a flight to Dominica” is building an international airport of the type your no doubt envision? No. The remedy is a strategic and full-blown marketing of the island and what it has to offer the visitor.
And after you finish marketing the island, the FAA still will not allow airplanes to land at Melville Hall Airport at night.
While I understand the need for effective marketing, it doesn’t change the fact that certain types of aircraft cannot land there day or night.
Truth Seeker, if thats the remedy, then what have we been doing wrong for the past 15 years.
No matter how full blown you market a thing, if I cant get to it, cant find it or cant afford it, its useless and a waste of marketing money.
An international airport doesnt make it any easier to find Dominica. Dominica will have to have enough traffic to warrant the big jets landing here and even then it’s a hard sell.
You people and your international airport.
so St Vincent has traffic to warrant international airport?
Anonymous, i have been reading your post for some time, and I notice you have a slight… sorry… major disconnect between what you read and how you understand.
Anon never said that one would not be able to find Dominica, he said, “find a flight to Dominica”, that means… in laymans language for you, that visitors have difficulty getting to the island, especially from Europe. Any Island or country east of Dominica, takes the minimum of 2 days to reach here.And if you do reach in 2 days, your luggage is another 1 or 2 days behind. That was the point he was making, and I totally agree.
you need to shut up ,u idiot.
No names at all? Out of five individuals we cant get even one name so we can google CVs?
What’s the big secret for all five of them?
100 Dominicans will be employed if the hotel is full. Fort Young has been discounting their rooms by 50% all year implying they are far from full so why would this new kid on the block be full? Anyway $16 million has been “spent” and pocketed and that was Government’s focus all along. I am not fooled.
It will be run like PWC.Tell me everytime a new goverment come in the Operator will change ? lol
There are no Dominicans who can run a hotel? With all the scholars we produce yearly, all the scholarships and all that, not one Dominican?
Well well well. We have definitely taken Dominica to the next level.
Dominicans managing everywhere but home, this govt does not like its people.
Another misguided comment. Government recently hired an expatriate to heading its telecommunications drive and one to head the quapo bank. Take your head out of the sand. Be fair. Should government do more to woo expats back home to shore up the middle and top management sectors in the country? Absolutely!!
Jah Rastafari.
Rasta far I, best you stay out of it. because u not in it at all.
Please read the post again, where in the post do you see that there were no Dominicans in among the 5 persons or entities that showed interest.It was not even implied. For all you know it could be that the 5 persons are Dominicans, even the one coming in, or they could be foreigners, the post does not say.
By the way are you family to Anonymous?
We dominicans see negative light on EVERYTHING that goes on in our country (good and bad). We cannot unite to move forward as a nation..so we’ll always be stuck like sitting ducks with our heads up our and our mouths yapping garbage with nothing good to talk about. Embrace the development! Embrace it because none of us did it before the morrocci. Dominica needs more hotels if the Tourism Industry is to grow, that’s only common sense.
Some Dominicans behave like illiterate mongrels. Yu get transpirency and still yu ask questions the article already answers in plain english text. Stop overanalyzing everything and assuming wrong context. We are blessed to receive the hotel and spa from the Morrocci government..we ought to be (grateful, thankful, appreciative). GOD IS WATCHING US. We forget that we dubbed ourselves “a God-fearing nation”. Smh. Wake up Dominicans. Wake up.
Every country have people like that. They ask for stuff, when they get it they still question it lol
you are so pathetic!
You are so right that we are God fearing, that’s why before accepting things we have to be sure that it is right in his eyes.
Remember how Jesus was tempted in the desert, offered all kind of riches he could have said yes in the name of material development but he refused, we too are tempted and thats why we question, we are not against development. Ask the people of the western Sahara about the money that Morocco is giving Dominica.
Nac Vibes don’t waste your breath. Too many Dominicans like Jubilant have their own version of God and the Bible which includes begging, stealing, supporting corruption and the list goes on.
They confuse the acts of going to church and talking about God, with actually LIVING christian lives. Much easier to go to chruch and talk about God. Leave them.
Until Dominicans learn to take pride in their work and give a fair days work for a fair days pay,some jobs will have to be outsourced.
I am skilled in tiling they need to send for me too
I read the article twice and did not see where they said morrocoan are going to manage it. Perhaps I am blind.
It didn’t say a Moroccan was going to manage it. It said “someone on Thursday (today) who has shown interest in the running the Morocco-funded Cabrits Hotel and Spa in Portsmouth.
Keep reading until you understand it.
Did Dominicans believe that the hotel would be managed by Dominicans? Fool all youselves. Wait and see when you hear the news. How many Dominicans really know about that Moroccan-funded hotel? Who owns the hotel? Govt. on behalf of Dominicans? Who are the other stakeholders? So those who express interest don’t have name? We not suppose to know that? Who are the investors? Foreigners? Plumbers, electricians coming down from Morocco to work? Where are our skilled workers who could do those work? Who cares?
Of course specialists from Morocco. Suppose, they installing bugs and don’t want Dominicans to know that. I’m not staying in that place garcon, you never know Govt. may be spying on you.
have you ever visited the sight to see who works there? God have mercy on you all souls for you knows not what you talk about.
The “sight”, the “sight”?? No man, I did visit the “site!” though but was not particularly impressed.
Why does it seem that everything in the news is a secret. Someone to lead Aid Bank, Someone got arrested, Govt to meet with someone. Alas, Dominicans are special people. They have no voice, they just have to accept what is thrown at them. Makes no sense. Then when the someone is named, you just have to embrace them.
Ok anonymous, nice post, i agree.
Honestly I don’t understand how this hotel got approved and the Hotel owners did not step in and tell th government they should not compete directly with the private sector. I can almost bet that all high officials coming to Dominica for meetings and or business wont stay at any other hotel but this one. I just don’t think it was right for the government to get into the hotel business. Maybe I did not get the real story or I am just not getting the full story. I might be wrong altogether.
Y don’t some of u who always look for the negative come down possi to find out the amount of us that’s employed at that place…….
Another Foreigner gets a job while there are so many Dummynicans unemployed
and you and we, still voting Labour, just like that… idiots!
Ian do you remember the days when we had skilled trades men in abundance in Dominica. You will remember Spa building construction Projects in Portsmouth area , many of the trades men from PaixBouche m Dosdane, Bense, borne , Cottage use to flck into Portsmouth. Today you are telling us that you will be bringing in tilers, plumbers and electricians and you guys are proud to be saying that. Under the Labor administration our tradesmen have been disenfranchised. I refuse to believe that there are no trades me available. I knw of several good tilers and plumbers that need work , I also know of electricians looking for work.
Under the Freedom zparty and the UWP our people were proud articipants in our development. I remember those days – Sintra came in with their equipment and 90% of the operators were Dominicans, masons, carpenters, iron workers were all Dominicans, Nelotaire was the same , miser Arine who built the cruise ship berth in Portsmouth and Rseau utilized Dominicans. Arusha &Tompkins who rebuilt the West Coast Road after Hurrican David utilize Dominicans; the lst goes but every infrastructure project was done by Dominicans. All the Hotels built in the early 90 ‘ s and late 80’s were built by Dominicans.
How can people sit back and accept the status quo. When countries provide grant the intension is to proved employment and development for the people. It makes no sense at all that trades men from Moroco have to fly half way across the world to come lay tiles.
As a Dominican, I have one request to for the government particularly as school holidays comes around; can you guys use the Youth Skills Program to facilitate provision of a list with young people names expressing interest to learn the skill of tiling, electricals and any other skills for work in this phase? I believe that if we are to build local capacity, and to allow young people to have their own business, this would be an opportunity for them to get involved.
I sincerely hope it is not an “individual”, who will be hired to manage this facility on behalf of the Govt. but a competent company with a proven traxck record in the hosiptality industry that will be allowed to run it on a contract basis without Govt. interferenc. in its day-to-day operations.
The Cabrits Resort and Spa as a state owned enterprise should among many other things focus on employing our young hospitality management graduates from the Dominica State College and thus develop an internship programme with the DSC. In effect all students enrolled in hospitality management should pass through it doors… when it opens. The model has been sucessfully implemented in a number of caribbean jurisdictions… and it should work for us also.
Securing a certificate from an institution in say Hotel and Tourism Management is not enough to run a hotel.
If you talk to good hotel managers, you will learn that they had to apprentice somewhere and gain practical knowledge in conjunction with any technical training. That’s why we lag in these sectors. We still have colonial definition of what an education means.
It’s very good there is another development in cabrits. Hope few locals will be able to get few of jobs there. Good luck with the development.
Yes I? Another bobol??????????
They taking how long to do a job.
Dominicans toooo D** LAZY, fast money they want. If they don’t want to do the job is get outsiders.
Where should I apply for a job at this hotel when completed?
In Morroco
I would start with the Ministry of Tourism. Ask them.
Stupessss, this is just a waste!
And you are the bin. Jackwaste.
Isn’t there anybody competent enough in Dominica to manage and run a hotel, Pluming, electrician and tilling got to be done by foreigners. These Projects should employ Domincans, so the Money will stay in Dominica
Seriously where are you from? Do you know what a hotel operator does? Do some research. Also can you see how stagnant our accommodation sector is with not one high end branded hotel. Every island in the Caribbean has a few hotels operated by major operators and franchise line – Dominica needs that type of name behind some of its hotels. And from the horror some of us get when building our homes by local “reputable” contractors and so called professionals, people must start bringing in plumbers, electricians etc.
DK did you understand what you read?
Dk, we are going to hear a bunch of “edjacated” D/cans telling us why we should not have this hotel, but I think we should have faith in our government and let things roll. This could be an investment that is good for all especially, the country as a whole. We can only hope that part of this deal will allow training for future (local) management and that the government/people have a majority stake in this venture. Training and education make competancy. Dominica is on the march, and big risks will be part of this growth. So Dk, sensible planning and accountability will make this a success, and as a D/can, you also can make a difference.
Are you competent?If not shut up.
its a gift just say thank u and look forward for the 100 hopeful to be employed…and I think it’s a good to bring in somebody very competent to kick this think off ,no disrespect to my fellow men but we need this to work it most work we are in need of it
I love Dominica but Dominican why of running business is bad look at how foreigners business bloom in D/ca and the locals fail. why is that? Because we lack business skill most of the time and we too ashamed to read books to keep up to date in what happening and we afraid of change which is needed for a good company. We have a bad I know it all attitude
Have you ever tried to find Dominicans to do quality work at a fair price? Good luck on that! There are people capable of doing quality work but they are usually booked up and can pick and choose their jobs and they aren’t cheap. And then there are the rest who say that they do good work or that they can do this , that and the other……..and then don’t and can’t.
Sorry to say it but the quality of work Dominicans produce is sub-standard. Blame it on poor or no training. For example, I shipped my high-end quality fixtures and materials to build my bathrooms.
The first contractor did a lousy job so I had to do it again. A second contractor tried to remedy the problem but he was worse than the first. Then I hired the so-called best and most expensive contractor to correct the problem but alas his work was pure “coshonie.”
Too bad overseas D/cans are ripped off with impunity by these mediocre contractors. And there are no enforcement mechanisms in place to redress these terrible wrongs. Nonetheless, I strongly support the hotel development and the generosity of the Moroccan people.
yes just like we have people from DA working in Antigua VI and all over the place so what is your point,they should not be there?
I saw what my parents went through when they built their home. Contractor took money and never completed the job.
I have no “Sympathy” for our local skilled professionals. Until they learn to complete people’s projects on time, keep hiring foreigners. The message will eventually sink in. We keep attaching our emotions to these issues. Business is business.
Do you think if “The Public Works Corporation” was given the contract to complete the West Coast Project, that road would have been completed? The answer is no.
Some more Moroccans have come down … more persons skilled in electrical, tiling and plumbing
Imagine this! The government has the audacity to allow persons here from Morocco to come and do things like tiling, electrically and plumbing, at a time of very high unemployment.
I have employed the services of excellent first class electricians and tilers and have no doubt that we do have good plumbers here.
That will only have negative implications for our economy and a troubled Social Security that continuesraised the age of retirement because the institution is overburdened with more people taking out of the pot than putting in. Skerrit you continue to show your hatred for Dominicans. One day the people will see through your charade
The question is not one of skill. It is one of attitude and how our locals think of and carry themselves.
Dominican worker arrives on your project late each morning, takes a morning break, a two hour lunch break and works half day on Friday. Yet still, he gets paid for the entire day.
When millions of dollars are at stake, stake holders have only one concern: On-time completion of such projects. We need to be more professional in Dominica.
When our reputation for on-time delivery and quality increases, so to will our ability to get hired on these projects.
While we do have some skilled professionals on the island, a great percentage of those employed in skilled trades suck.
It took me five hours get a flat tire repaired the last time I was home.
We keep making this a government issue and it’s not. The local Builders Association on the island needs to rehabilitate their image through good work practices and an effective advertising. They act like they have a “Right” to these projects and they do not.
“He who pays the piper calls the tune.”