| PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas, Sept. 17, 1999 - Officials of the Sheraton
Grand Resort have elected to temporarily close the 340-room resort operations
until the first quarter of 2000 so that guests will not be disturbed or
inconvenienced during the property�s in-progress renovation and repairs
from Hurricane Floyd. �We feel this is a positive move in light of
the fact that we have been undergoing our second multi-million dollar renovation
in two years, and have now incurred some moderate damage due to the storm,�
said Alfred Gorlick, Vice President and General Manager of the Sheraton
Grand.
 Gorlick
said two of the four restaurants at the resort have been damaged, along
with a number of guest accommodations and landscaping. �Even though some
of our accommodations are fine, and the pool, deck and three-mile stretch
of beach we�re along are usable and accessible, we still feel the renovations
and repairs might have a negative affect on our guests� experience,� Gorlick
said. �That�s something we want to avoid.� The closing, according to Gorlick,
will be effective Monday, September 20, 1999. �There are still approximately
40 rooms occupied by guests, but all are due to check out by this Sunday
evening,� Gorlick added.
�This will give us an opportunity to not only expedite the renovations
and restoration process, but will also give us complete flexibility in
turning the Sheraton Grand and its amenities into a world-class property.
Gorlick said his staff of approximately 250 employees will remain on payroll
even though the resort will not be open. �We feel it�s the right thing
to do since most of our staff members have been here almost since the opening
of the resort in 1982. They have shown their utmost dedication during this
crisis and we value their services now and in the future.�
Indeed, instant action on the part of a lot of those employees, said
Gorlick, was just about all it took to turn a potentially dangerous situation
into a positive experience for guests at the Sheraton Grand when Hurricane
Floyd came ashore.
�We were able to evacuate all guests from their rooms by midnight Monday
and housed them in our Grand Ballroom, along with more than 100 members
of our staff,� said Gorlick.
�The staff stayed with it through the worst of the hurricane and helped
keep our guests safe and secure,� Gorlick said. |
