| We understand that it’s been several months since we’ve updated you, yet the arduous task of our rebuild planning is a long and emotional one. The good news is that we have been busy!
As is the norm in today’s online world, many photos have been circulating which you’ve likely seen, yet we didn’t want to post anything without a proper update. The past three months were dedicated to clearing debris, removing damaged portions of our buildings with the aim of stripping the Sky Tower (the main hotel building at Sonesta Maho), down to its bare structure, which is the first step in any total rebuild like the one we have planned. So if you’ve seen the “skeleton” building photos out there of Sonesta Maho’s Sky Tower, this is intentional and something we carried out with our construction team.
Now that this has been completed, we are building! We are excited to share with you our first renderings of the new looks of Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa and Sonesta Ocean Point Resort. While keeping the heritage of the buildings, our architectural and design team have re-imagined the hotels in an entirely, new, contemporary way. We will continue to share renderings with you here on social media as they become available. The new Maho is going to be incredible and we can’t wait to have you experience it!
Many of you have continued to ask about the incredible team of employees we have at our hotels, and this means a great deal to us. Well, we have more good news to share! Employees of the Maho Group have been enrolled in Hospitality First, an initiative developed by Sint Maarten Training Foundation (SMTF), an independent, non-profit organization created in December 2017, where they are earning wages while expanding their hospitality education. Recognizing the urgent need to provide a social safety net to employees of the hospitality industry who risked losing their jobs due to the closure of the resorts in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, as there are no unemployment benefits in Dutch St. Maarten, SMTF was established by a group of concerned business executives, including representatives of the Maho Group, Sunwing Group, Price Waterhouse Cooper and Lexwell Attorneys, with the immediate task to activate the island’s first hospitality training program for professionals. The founders initially contributed to its startup fund to cover operating costs and students’ stipends. Government funding has since been granted.
Also, while the incredible GoFundMe campaign funds have been distributed, the fundraiser is still live, so if you wish to donate, you can!
www.gofundme.com/sonestasxmstaff
While we don’t have a re-opening at this time, we do anticipate that within a short period we will have more details and announce our re-opening dates as well as open for online reservations with great pre-opening promotion.
Finally, thank you so much for all of your loyalty, patience and support. Every email, phone call, post, message and thought means the world to each and every one of us. With your support we are coming back "Stronger and Brand New"
Our gratitude and very best wishes,
Eliska Hesova, on behalf of Sonesta Resorts St. Maarten |
