Philipsburg:--- SMN News reported some weeks ago that Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos International were negotiating the possible purchase of Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC). When the article was first published it was made clear that based on constant rumors the company and its legal representatives were discussing the possible sale overseas. On Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing, Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams announced that the franchise owners of Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos International and representatives of SBRMC met with the Council of Ministers on Tuesday to discuss their intention to purchase the resort. Wescot-Williams said during the meeting on Tuesday the investors outlined their so called wish list prior to the actual purchase while government informed the investors of government's expectations from investors.Responding to questions pertaining to sale and purchase of Simpson Bay Resort Management Company was Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger. SMN News asked the Deputy Prime Minister if he owned the Hard Rock Café Franchise on St. Maarten and if he is anyway involved in the purchase of the resort that has been entangled in several legal battles regarding who should take responsibility for the workers. Minister Heyliger bluntly rejected the idea that he owns the Hard Rock Café on St. Maarten.
The Minister said that the property that houses Hard Rock Café belongs to his relatives and they are leasing the building to the persons running the operation. "If I was in anyway involved or owned the Hard Rock I would not have been sitting in the Minister's seat I would have been running the over 170 locations around the world that belongs to Hard Rock International." The Minister said that Hard Rock is owned by a Seminole Tribe of Florida, which is a sovereign nation in the United States.
When asked if the investors requested a casino license in exchange for the purchase of the resort, the Minister said that the investors did place their wish list on the table and they are supposed to submit it officially to government. He said that while there is a moratorium on the stand alone casinos, one of which is located at the Pelican, the resort itself does not have a casino. Minister Heyliger said that government would have to look at the fact that should the sale go through it would be the only resort that is owned by a branded chain of resorts and the benefits that would bring to St. Maarten in terms of jobs and movement of people. He further explained that Pelican does have the required amount of rooms which would allow them to have a casino. He said there are two things that have to be looked at; the first is the casino that is associated with a hotel and the second is the standalone licensed casino which is currently in operation at Pelican. Heyliger said that during the meeting on Tuesday the interested parties did not express the wishes to have a casino because they know what government's policies are. Heyliger also informed reporters that while the workers of Pelican were not fully discussed, the investors are thinking about building a hotel at Pelican since this is the first time they are looking into purchasing a timeshare resort. He said that the new investors are looking into investing 85 million USD if the sale takes place. He also assured that the government of St. Maarten did not give the investors, land, monies, or bonds as incentives to invest on the island. He said so far he has not seen any earth shattering requests from the Hard Rock investors.
Prime Minister Wescot Williams also assured that while the investors placed their wish list on the table, the Council of Ministers outlined the economic balance sheet to the investors. She said when the official request and wish list is submitted to government they will look at all aspects in which the sale of Pelican to Hard Rock International will benefit St. Maarten.
When asked if the new investors discussed the current saga between the Workers Institute for Organized Labour (WIFOL) and SBRMC. The Prime Minister said that it is two separate issues and the employer SBRMC is the one responsible for the workers. She assured that if and when the sale takes place one of the assets would be the human resources and she is quite sure that the persons working for SBRMC currently will be taken into consideration. Both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister could not say if the WIFOL was apprised of the possible sale of the resort and the investor's intention regarding the workers.
