Portlanders clamour for reopening of hotel

FAIRY HILL, Portland:

Dozens of former employees, who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, are anticipating re-employment after the operator/owner of Tropical Lagoon, a resort in East Portland, stepped up renovations early this week.

The decision to speed up restoration work by owner Devon Wilson, who is anticipating a full reopening before September 2025, is as a result of being bombarded by laid off workers struggling to meet their everyday financial needs.

Among those clamouring for a reopening are Dennis Hill a waiter; Juliet Pink a housekeeper; Thomas Sewell a pool attendant; Phillip Bell an executive chef; George Forbes, a mixologist; and janitor Simone Barnswell, who are eagerly awaiting the reopening of one of Portland’s eco-friendly resort and beauty spots.

“Mi caan wait fi dis open again and mi can tell you say dis place yah sell off, because pretty road a come, so a easy access now,” stated Hill.

Chiming in, Pink, Sewell, Barnswell, and Forbes, all agreed that the time was right for the reopening of Tropical Lagoon, which is neatly perched on 14 acres of property overlooking the picturesque Blue Lagoon.

Meanwhile, the cries and appeal from former workers have not gone unnoticed, as operators of the facility have hinted that repairs are proceeding at an advanced pace so as to adequately meet the deadline for the reopening of the facility on or before September.

“We are aiming for a September reopening. Before COVID-19 we employed a little over 140 people directly, including waiters/waitresses, groundsmen, bar staff, kitchen staff, pool attendants, housekeepers, janitors, and utility people,” said Wilson.

“But we were disrupted by COVID-19 roundabout 2020,which basically shut down our operations – resulting in dozens of people from the Fairy Hill, Boston, Zion Hill, Port Antonio, Long Bay, and Snow Hill areas losing their jobs. I have listened to the cry of those who are struggling to make ends meet and the calls are many. It is always my intention to renovate and rehabilitate and the time is right for me to do so now.

“At Tropical Lagoon we were like family looking out for each other, while ensuring that the work is carried out in a professional way in seeing to the needs of our guests. We catered for locals and foreigners, who kept coming back, and I am speeding up operations to ensure that the people of this parish can get back to earning and taking care of their families. Without the workers, Tropical Lagoon will not revive and I am well aware of that,” he added.

According to Wilson, plans are in place to move away from a villa-like setting to a more structured kitchen operation, where meals are prepared by the kitchen staff. He argued that rather than forcing guests, especially those who overnight, to suffer the inconvenience of having to prepare a meal for themselves, that responsibility can be handled by the resort.

“So, we are really pushing for an early reopening, so as to re-establish ourselves in the hotel sector, which is paramount, and also to ensure that we provide sustainable employment to our well experienced staff, who have been with us since our inception. We are also encouraging young people to apply to this establishment, so as to ensure that our operations are sustained,” he concluded.

editorial@gleanerjm.com