By JEREMY FRANCIS

Freeport News Reporter

Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour is poised to return West End to days of prosperity that it hasn't experienced since the Prohibition era and prior to the closure of the Jack Tar Village in 1988.

Yesterday, a group of prominent business persons in Grand Bahama were invited to the resort for an exclusive lunch and tour aimed at apprising them of the 360-degree turnaround the 150-acre oceanfront property has made since Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne and that they are once again netting a vast income. In fact, the resort has been booked solid for the past three weeks.

Old Bahama Bay's first 24 suites were made available for occupancy in May of 2001. An additional 25 were included in December 2003. Now, resort executives are acquiring an additional 70 acres of property to erect 50-plus more suites. The establishment also comprises a residential and marina community.

On Saturday, February 5, 2005, its marina received the prestigious environmental Blue Flag award from the Foundation for Environmental Education, becoming the only marina in The Bahamas to receive such an award. The Blue Flag, which was created in Europe in 1987, is a voluntary and exclusive eco-label awarded to beaches and marinas that have met the FEE's strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education, and information, environmental management, and safety and service.

Old Bahama Bay's Chief Operating Officer Bob Kramm said that Old Bahama Bay will continue to grow as a real estate community and resort.

Development at Old Bahama Bay is moving so rapidly that the present 120 employees at the resort are expected to increase by some 80 more persons by the end of 2006, Mr. Kramm said.

The four-star hotel is a Small Luxury Hotels of the World member. Its website boasts that its 300-plus members take an ordinary stay and make it an extraordinary experience for guests.

"I really have learned to appreciate what we have..." said Mr. Kramm. "You won't see a place where you are served better or find a better luxury or resort destination."

Old Bahama Bay's seemingly unlimited prospects caught the attention of Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce President Doswell Coakley, who vowed to forge a strong relationship with the establishment.

Another individual who has made huge strides to strengthen West End's fragile economy is Patricia Hoyte, the proprietor of Smiling Pat Tours.

For the past 15 years, she has been taking visitors on expeditions into the west to give them a broader sense of what the island has to offer, while providing much needed economic opportunities for merchants in the West End district.

Her efforts in this regard have become particularly meaningful to residents of the community in the aftermath of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne.

Her diligent effort to once again make West End the prime centre of business and leisure also has revived the topic of straw vendors being re-established in the settlement.

Together, Mrs. Hoyte and Old Bahama Bay are destined to exceed expectations for West End that they themselves may not have even expected.

EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDED — The possibilities that Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour holds to make West End a prosperous district once again exceeded the expectations of prominent business persons in Grand Bahama who were invited to the resort for an exclusive lunch and tour. In front row at right is Old Bahama Bay's marketing coordinator, Solana Lightbourn.