Abel Matutes, Fiesta hotel group manager, discusses Spanish hotel development in Jamaica during a visit to The Gleaner's North Street, central Kingston offices recently. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Fiesta Hotel Group's manager Abel Matutes is beaming with excitement in anticipation of the summer opening of the resort in Point, Lucea, Hanover.

Come June 7, Fiesta will open the 1,000-room Grand Palladium Hotel along the Hanover coastline.

This major development is to be the premier ecotourism resort by the multinational Spanish group.

"What makes me excited is, for example, the way our clients, tour operators, contractors, how they have reacted to this hotel," Matutes says. "That makes me feel really, really happy and I think we are going to have success."

Already accepting bookings, the occupancy level is expected to be approximately 40 per cent by June.

Four resorts

The property will house a total of four resorts on completion, and will provide permanent employment for 2,000 persons.

The size and scope of this massive investment captured media attention throughout the con-struction process.

A vibrant and highly sensitised workforce, and at least one mishap on site, kept construction bosses on their toes from the outset.

Early last year, construction workers protested against unsanitary working conditions, including insufficient toilet facilities, a lack of drinking water, medical facilities and areas for obtaining food and shelter at the site.

Additionally, Prime Minister Bruce Golding last September ordered an investigation into an incident that led to the collapse of a section of one building, injuring at least two workers at the multimillion-dollar Fiesta hotel development.

A subsequent report by state ministers Robert Montague and Joseph Hibbert showed that the hotel developers, Fiesta, had failed to follow the conditions outlined by the parish council.

Matutes told The Gleaner that local environmental bodies, such as the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), should provide clear guidelines to investors with regard to construction.

The Gleaner has for several days attempted to get a response from NEPA, but representatives of the agency said they are "consumed with other matters related to the agency's transfer to the Prime Minister's portfolio".

Matutes also says developers were awaiting a response from the environ-ment body about the construction of the second phase of the resort. That response, according to Matutes, should have been forwarded to the Fiesta group in January.

Jamaican workforce

Matutes, whose family owns and operates 41 hotels worldwide, says the natural beauty of the country, combined with the resort chain's renowned service, would make the Jamaican Fiesta hotel a winner with tourists.

"The environment you have here is amazing," he remarked assuring that some 98 per cent of the resort's employees will be Jamaicans.

According to him, with the assistance of HEART Trust/NTA, suitable employees have been identified for placement at the resort.

"We truly believe in the employees when we go to one place, so if there is an opportunity for them to grow, we will offer that," he says.