La Grande Mare Hotel to remain shut for overhaul

Instead, the management of La Grande Mare Hotel has announced a move to fast-track plans to redevelop the resort.

They said it was a ‘tough decision’ which had not been easy to make, but it was in the best interests of the future of the business.

Bookings at the four-star hotel have been cancelled, and the affected staff are being supported with what management called an ‘outplacement service’.

Resort general manager Sacha Cauwels-Wigan issued a statement yesterday which outlined that an ‘exciting’ redevelopment was being brought forward.

‘La Grande Mare will therefore not be reopening in its previous format when the lockdown restrictions are lifted.

‘The hotel and restaurants will remain closed whilst our development plan is submitted and redevelopment takes place.

‘Our first step will be to submit a pre-application to the planners this month for comment.

‘The golf course is now operational and the golf club will continue to operate, albeit under whatever lockdown restrictions are imposed.

‘The health and leisure club is currently closed and we will review its future as events unfold.

‘We will ensure that we keep members of both clubs up to date with events.’

The statement did not provide details of how many staff were affected, when the resort would fully reopen, or what the redevelopment would look like.

The general manager could not be reached yesterday for further comment.

La Grande Mare was bought for an undisclosed sum on New Year’s Eve 2018 by Pula Investments, a company connected to local billionaire Stephen Lansdown.

Speaking at the time, Mr Lansdown revealed that the hotel would go through a transformation, which would include promoting the golf course more, and he called it ‘evolution, not revolution’.

The reopening of hotels is part of phase four of the island’s exit strategy from lockdown. However, the reopening of the airport to UK and European flights will not happen until phase six.

The island’s leaders have consistently stressed that the exit document could easily change, but in its current form, hotels could return to business on 20 June.

Setting a provisional date for the airport to try to operate fully again is much harder because it will depend on how other jurisdictions have managed the virus.

In a best-case scenario it is possible that the airport could resume flights from outside of the Bailiwick from mid-September.

Tourism and hospitality is expected to be the worst-hit industry by the pandemic, with operators wondering whether they should open at all for the summer months, a time when they usually bank revenue to help through the slower winter months.