Hotel boss: Bermuda is in recovery

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3: The Green family is bullish on Bermuda.

They have already invested heavily in the Waterloo House project, which should be completed next year, and have added the Fairmont Hamilton Princess to their holdings after completing a deal last Thursday.

Andrew Green, who along with his brother Alexander and father Peter purchased the Princess, said: “Bermuda business is doing fine. It’s under recovery.”

He added that the Princess was a “natural fit… they have such a terrific history. We’re thrilled to be bringing it back into Bermudian ownership.”

The hotel will still be managed by the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

“We will just be involved with the big picture the future developments,” Mr Green said.

“We will certainly be looking at what GHI did in renovating all the rooms. We’ll be very keen to go for the marina.

“A waterside restaurant is one of our top priorities as well.”

Mr Green spoke of a “10-year plan” and that “we’re working to get going on it as soon as possible.”

So what is his favourite part of the hotel? “I just love being outside on the water. Every time I am out there I just get excited.” He said the Princess should have a “great waterfront”.

Mr Green is exploring potential synergies between the Princess and Waterloo House, which is close by.

Mr Green said his family has a long history of backing Bermuda.

“When people would ask me why I believe in Bermuda, I would tell them that we run a scholarship programme.”

The Green Family Scholarship is a needs-based scholarship for 10 students to help pay for some of their university costs.

He said meeting the scholarship recipients “really does make us feel good about Bermuda”.

Some scholarship students go into the hospitality industry.

“This is one of the key industries. When someone is in hospitality, we now give them a larger scholarship because it’s something we want to encourage.”