Thursday, March 26, 2015

Setbacks in the Bahamas: Baha Mar Saga Continues

With 48 hours to go before their long-heralded grand opening, Baha Mar has pulled the plug on the 'open' sign and has announced a delay of another 2 months.

Baha Mar has been billed as the "Riviera of the Caribbean" and is a 5star resort on Cable Beach in The Bahamas.

The lesson in this will be how it blows up on them in the social media, in the next 5 days.  It appears the announcement was made on Facebook. They have not yet made any reference to the delay on their website and are, in fact still inviting bookings. This, is a big mistake.

I feel terrible for their marketing team. It is indeed THE golden rule of marketing in this modern age. DO NOT HYPE WHAT YOU CAN NOT DELIVER.   And that is exactly what they have done, for months.

Since I have a deep love for The Bahamas, and have been following this project for about 2 years, I really hope they are able to make it work and come to terms with their suppliers and construction team in order to see the project through to opening. To see a project crumble, when it is so very close to achieving its goal would be absolutely devastating for the island and its economy.

Lots to read on this subject. Much of it is quite frightening. The politics and the money tied into the project is beyond my comprehension.

Jilted travellers with Spring Break plans will no doubt be knocking on the door at Atlantis in hopes of salvaging their vacation. This might just be what the Marriott's recent acquisition (Atlantis Hotel & Casino) needs to bolster their bottom line and keep on top of travellers' lists in The Bahamas.




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