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Ritz-Carlton announces exclusive resort project in Aruba
One "happy island" just a got a little happier...Ritz-Carlton executives, together with newly elected Aruba Prime Minister Mike Eman, announced plans to open The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, an exclusive 320-room oceanfront resort set on the island's popular Palm Beach. The new resort, scheduled to open in 2012, will feature several restaurants, an on-site spa, two swimming pools and a 24-hour casino. The Ritz-Carlton Club Level will be available to guests who want a more private stay, complete with concierge service.
"Aruba is an island destination with growing appeal to discerning travelers from Europe and the United States. Its stunning beaches and majestic views make the island one of those exceptional places in the Southern Caribbean, blending serenity and scenic attractions our guests seek when planning a vacation," said Ezzat Coutry, senior vice president, Southeast Region, Caribbean and Latin America, in a press statement.
Aruba is one of the most visited islands for east coast travelers. Legacy carriers including American Airlines, Continental, and Delta offer daily flights to Aruba, and the emergence of JetBlue's daily flights to Aruba have helped the happy island boost tourism efforts over the past year.
The Ritz-Carlton Aruba is the hotel group's latest project in the Caribbean. Ritz-Carlton has hotels in St. Thomas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Mexico and The Bahamas. The hotel group will welcome the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles at LA LIVE next month, and continues its expansion into the Middle East and Asia. Check back later for my exclusive interview with Ritz-Carlton's President and Chief Operating Officer Simon Cooper...
Filed under: Hotels and Accommodations, Caribbean
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Aruba Feb 17th 2010 2:42PM
Congratulations to mr. Bill Marriott and former Prime Minister of Aruba mr. Nelson Oduber for such a beautiful project that the current Government wanted to boycott but after pressure from the Hotel Association, the plans were given a go, after minor details changes.
Current Parlament member mr. Juan David Irausquin, representing the current government even went public by calling mr. Bill Carson a corrupt person. However he was not supported by his party in power.
ILoveAruba Feb 28th 2010 7:23PM
well i love Aruba but hate Rits Carlton for what they are going to do. Aruba is a beautiful island i should know i live here. and it is true we are very nice and polite people. But we are not happy that rits carlten is coming here please read it and u would understand why we are not happy.
where do i start 1) here in Aruba we have a place we can kite surf and wind surf.Aruba is known for that ,people all over the world come here to wind and kite surf. the best wind surfer in the world trains here( Shara Quita ) the place we wind and kite surf happens to be one of natures gift because we have a natural wind that can make it happen. but because of where rits carlten is going to be located the will block are natural wind. there for are wind and kite surf company is going to have to close. hope your happy
2)there ,where the new hotel happens to be located also happens to be where the fishermenshut is and the "ranchos" (ranchos=where the fishermen stay to sell fish and clean the fish and make it all ) .
at that beach is all so where they leave there boat and and when they go fishing at night it is easier for them. and now the are going to tear the "rancho's" down and the fishermen are forced to leave that beach and take there boat elsewher.
that "rancho" has been in my family for a long time my fathers great grandpa used to fish there and stay at the "rancho" my WHOLE family and I have been camping there for a lot of years every summer . my father even tells me stories from when he used to camp there when he was little. and because the "rancho" is separated in tree areas other family's just like mine has also been camping there for a long time. and i wish that my children childrens would one day camp there. because i would want them to have a great childhood just like i had and a great deal of my child hood memory's are there at that "rancho". so not only are the destroying memories. but there take the place of the fishermens,THE FEW FISHERMEN WE HAPPEN TO HAVE LEFT. hope your happy
3)more than 70 % of Aruba's beaches are not even ours there are for the tourist and hotels. and they are taking one of the few local beaches we still have.hope your happy.
4) WE DON'T NEED MORE HOTELS WE BURLY FILL ALL THE ONES WE HAVE NOW.hope your happy
5)the contract they sign allows them to bring 700 immigrants to come work here.Aruba is close to 150 square meters we have here on Aruba 100.000 people living witch close to 30% of them are immigrant . wish means 0.0015 square meter per person .and i am just wondering where the are planing to fit the 700 people.hope your happy.
6)they are going to have to tear down beautiful nature . The other hotels already took a lot and now more.hope your happy.
7)that beach is one of the beach most of the turtle come to distribute there eggs and they are goin to build a hotel there a Rits carlten there.hope your happy.
8) so i can go on and on why we would not like a rits carlten here.the government should of given a second thought before signing the papers.the only reason they sing it was because they want money because the "wanted it for Aruba". whit out asking Aruba ,if they want it. Because the are selfish all they think about is money
in their pockets.
HOW TO MAKE IT BETTER
I am not completely against rits carlten coming here on Aruba but just think they have to search for an other location. or. one time Aruba had a Hotel called sonesta and it was not very fancy so they upgraded it changed the name to Renaissance renovated it and offered better service and raised the price.
so rits carlten can do that may be it will even be better if them do that.
so i hope u guy's reconsider building it there on Aruba. i hope u see mi point of view i am only doing this for the best of the people an for the best for Aruba.
i am a 17 year old girl from colegio arubano.and i love Aruba.Bye, thank u for reading .
figaroa_kristi Feb 28th 2010 7:22PM
well i love Aruba but hate Rits Carlton for what they are going to do. Aruba is a beautiful island i should know i live here. and it is true we are very nice and polite people. But we are not happy that rits carlten is coming here please read it and u would understand why we are not happy.
where do i start 1) here in Aruba we have a place we can kite surf and wind surf.Aruba is known for that ,people all over the world come here to wind and kite surf. the best wind surfer in the world trains here( Shara Quita ) the place we wind and kite surf happens to be one of natures gift because we have a natural wind that can make it happen. but because of where rits carlten is going to be located the will block are natural wind. there for are wind and kite surf company is going to have to close. hope your happy
2)there ,where the new hotel happens to be located also happens to be where the fishermenshut is and the "ranchos" (ranchos=where the fishermen stay to sell fish and clean the fish and make it all ) .
at that beach is all so where they leave there boat and and when they go fishing at night it is easier for them. and now the are going to tear the "rancho's" down and the fishermen are forced to leave that beach and take there boat elsewher.
that "rancho" has been in my family for a long time my fathers great grandpa used to fish there and stay at the "rancho" my WHOLE family and I have been camping there for a lot of years every summer . my father even tells me stories from when he used to camp there when he was little. and because the "rancho" is separated in tree areas other family's just like mine has also been camping there for a long time. and i wish that my children childrens would one day camp there. because i would want them to have a great childhood just like i had and a great deal of my child hood memory's are there at that "rancho". so not only are the destroying memories. but there take the place of the fishermens,THE FEW FISHERMEN WE HAPPEN TO HAVE LEFT. hope your happy
3)more than 70 % of Aruba's beaches are not even ours there are for the tourist and hotels. and they are taking one of the few local beaches we still have.hope your happy.
4) WE DON'T NEED MORE HOTELS WE BURLY FILL ALL THE ONES WE HAVE NOW.hope your happy
5)the contract they sign allows them to bring 700 immigrants to come work here.Aruba is close to 150 square meters we have here on Aruba 100.000 people living witch close to 30% of them are immigrant . wish means 0.0015 square meter per person .and i am just wondering where the are planing to fit the 700 people.hope your happy.
6)they are going to have to tear down beautiful nature . The other hotels already took a lot and now more.hope your happy.
7)that beach is one of the beach most of the turtle come to distribute there eggs and they are goin to build a hotel there a Rits carlten there.hope your happy.
8) so i can go on and on why we would not like a rits carlten here.the government should of given a second thought before signing the papers.the only reason they sing it was because they want money because the "wanted it for Aruba". whit out asking Aruba ,if they want it. Because the are selfish all they think about is money
in their pockets.
HOW TO MAKE IT BETTER
I am not completely against rits carlten coming here on Aruba but just think they have to search for an other location. or. one time Aruba had a Hotel called sonesta and it was not very fancy so they upgraded it changed the name to Renaissance renovated it and offered better service and raised the price.
so rits carlten can do that may be it will even be better if them do that.
so i hope u guy's reconsider building it there on Aruba. i hope u see mi point of view i am only doing this for the best of the people an for the best for Aruba.
i am a 17 year old girl from colegio arubano.and i love Aruba.Bye, thank u for reading
And Justice for all !! Mar 30th 2010 12:43AM
The person who wrote the article is a real SLEEZE BAG, because it's not TRUE !!
The current government, NEVER supported the Ritz project !!!
When this new government won the elections in September 2009, they asked Bill Marriott and the corrupt Venezuelan developer to put the project on hold and they agreed to wait until the Government was sworn in.
These 'no good sleazy bums' (Bill Marriott and the Venezuelan developer, by the way a Chavez suporter) went behind the new elected Government's back (remember they would wait for the new Government to be installed) and went to the notary to sign the passing of the lot to the developer 16 hours before the late minister of infrastructure and development handed over her office keys. Why the rush you would ask? Because the current Government is against the project !!!! A project that was protested against by the citizens of Aruba!!! The last stretch of 'real' unspoiled beach has been basically robbed by Bill Marriott and the '40 Thieves'. A beach and surroundings where for years the International Hi-Winds windsurf and kite competitions are held. When the new Government tried to stop the project they found out about the 'hastily signed' legal papers at the notary and the fine to stop the project will run into the range of 200 million Aruban florins.Bill Marriott visited the Island 3 weeks ago for a couple of hours to just make it clear to the Government that he won't pull out. In an arrogant way he said: 'It's time for a Ritz in Aruba, it's good for the Island'. Imagine!! the Arubans are against it (except for the corrupt members and friends of the late government), the current Government is against it, he already has 2 other properties next to the lot where he wants his Ritz and another one in town.
They already confiscated public beach for those properties, beach that they got for free but are charging their guests for shade near the waterline.
We will send a signal to the authorities in the US to show them that people like Bill (William) Marriott are an example of Americans that cause anti American sentiment in the world. No Nation on earth with selfrespect and dignity would be glad with this kind of blackmailish behaviour of a developer and hotelier.
Surfer Apr 12th 2010 2:06PM
These are merely a few reasons why we are PRO Fishermen's Huts, feel free to send us your reasons to have them included ...
What they are trying to do:
* the previous government handed over 45,000 square metres of land to allegedly build a 320-room Ritz Carlton (although the original request was for a mix-use, read timeshare, resort)
* the agreement includes the re-routing of the current road to Malmok in an lazy curve through the Salinja near the Boardwalk in order to accommodate the hotel and its parking lot.
* as part of said agreement, the developer (read Ritz) will also have the right to "beautify" the current fishermen's huts area where the huts are, where the fishermen have their boats and the windsurfers and Kitesurfers practice their sport (we all know what happened to Hadicurari)
* They also make reference to a previously sumbitted "wind tunnel study" by CPP Inc in 2005 for Bazarian Int'l, this was to asses pedestrian wind comfort and clearly states that the building will affect the first 300 meters off shore for recreational sailing, causing inconsistent wind conditions. They based the assumption on the fact that most experience recreational sailors (wind/kite surfers) will move out beyond 300 meters of the coastline anyway ...
* as part of the plans the developer will also be reclaiming/expanding the beach area - so creating additional beach where now there is sea ...
* seemingly they have changed their building plans numerous times at DOW.
Why we should NOT AGREE:
From an ENVIRONMENTAL perspective:
Desarrollos Hotelco (the developer) submitted an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) which consisted of only a reference to an existing Executive Summary, which was originally prepared by Edminsten & Associates and submitted by the previous developer, Bazarian Int'l Financial Assoc. in 2005 (4 years old!!). This is unacceptable given the superficial analysis, outdated numbers, and biased assumptions. Their Wind Tunnel Study was merely a reference to an existing Executive Summary by CPP Inc that was submitted by the previous developer, Bazarian Int'l Financial Assoc. in 2005 and based on Bazarian's architectural designs NOT on the current ones. Desarrollos Hotelco to date never submitted a complete and independent EIA or Wind Tunnel Study.
- Fishermen's Huts (FH) is the only place in Aruba where the endangered loggerhead sea turtle returns yearly to lay her eggs.
- The native Aruban indians were fishermen and used to settle close to the sea, so all along the west coastline as well as in the nearby Salinja where the parkinglot is proposed, it is assumed that there are archaeological deposits.
- The Salinja and the vegetation at FH is home to many species, including migrating birds that have been returning year after year.
- There are many mangroves (endangered) and trees that have been there for many many years.
- Under the guise of "embellishment", the developer (Ritz) has on it's plans for construction the beautification and maintenance of the current windsurf/fishermen area by removing what there is and replacing it with something more "fitting" with their resort ... we all know very well what happened at Hadicurari .... so in reality it is yet another "indirect" extension of their property ...
- In the name of progress, Arubans are left with very few recreational public beaches to do non-motorized aquatic sports, as well as places to pic-nic or spend the day with the family. Although most of the hotel beaches are considered "public" this is seemingly not the case, as locals are requested to leave if they sit on most of the "hotel" beaches.
- Many tour companies include a stop at the local beaches as part of their tour ... will they need to start making schedules if all there's left are Boca Catalina and Arashi? (Note that Eagle Beach gets encroached daily by hotels with placement of Palapa's and F&B outlets for their guests)
The beaches:
- provide an important recreational resource for tourists and local residents;
- protect coastal lands from wave action, especially during hurricanes;
- provide fish landing sites and areas for beaches boats;
- are an esthetically pleasing part of the environment.
- are also one of the most dynamic and fast changing parts of the islands' landscape.
From a SOCIO-ECONOMIC perspective:
Desarrollos Hotelco submitted SEIA (Social Economic Impact Assessment) consisted of only a reference to an existing Executive Summary, which was originally prepared by KPMG and submitted by the previous developer, Bazarian Int'l Financial Assoc. in 2005. This is unacceptable. Desarrollos Hotelco to date never submitted a complete and independent SEIA.
Building of a hotel at the Fisherman's Huts will have detrimental effects for the island and its population since the disadvantages by far outweigh the advantages:
Each additional hotel room built will require at least 4 additional workers, which will result in an addition of 1,280 people. Furthermore, no provisions have been made to develop a high quality and productive labor market. Most of these jobs require low skilled and low salary workers, a job market which has already been over developed if one looks at the amount of permit dependent foreigners that work there - so this will NOT help the unemployed, but rather create a shift/cannibalization of employment from other existing resorts who in turn will need to hire new people/foreigners to do the work ...
1. Infrastructural Effects:
- more cars
- more traffic
- more pollution
- congestion, crowding and displacement. (read accidents)
- architecturally, the new non-green design, and the relocation of the road through local wetlands, will cause a decline in environmental health.
- more waste
- more water usage
- more electrical usage
2. Business-Economic Effects:
- expanding the current room inventory will cause a negative spiral effect in terms of more rooms, lower occupancy rates in the industry and subsequent decline in industry rates and revenues.
- in terms of product planning and market development, there is a current void in positioning Aruba as an exclusive destination.
3. Social Effects:
- more permit dependent low skilled foreign workers
- increased low income population
- less income tax monies
- increased need for low cost housing
- bigger strain on already maxed out social services (doctor, hospital, azv, etc.)
- higher patient to doctor ratio - so longer lines to go to the doctor
- longer waits at the hospital or doctor na warda
- more people using AZV while contributing the minimum, so a higher cost overall
- even bigger classrooms (currently at almost 30 kids per classroom)
- possible increase in crime
What INDEPENDENT STUDIES say:
All independent studies and advices support the view that the construction of additional hotels is undesirable and irresponsible as the island has surpassed its carrying capacity and is now experiencing the costs of diminishing economic returns, social stress, and environmental destruction, with irreversible effects on the quality of experience for visitors and the quality of life of residents.
1. Chamber of Commerce & Industry - "Vision pa Gobernacion 2009-2013" dated May 2009
2. Wild Aruba
3. Nos Aruba 2025 - read full report
4. Sam Cole
5. University of Aruba, Strategic Tourism Action Plan 2007
6. University of Aruba, Nos Turismo di Manjan, Community analysis, 2009
7. University of Aruba, Tourism Intelligence Briefing, 2008
So if you haven't yet, take the time to sign the online petition at:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/noritz/ (no need to donate, just leave the page)
Become a member of the page and share this note - spread the word!
Surfer Apr 13th 2010 3:52PM
Check out this clip. This is what happens when that area floods. Take a good look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufCvAj7JeHU
Aruba vacation resorts May 17th 2010 3:47AM
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