Leisure & Tourism Projects
It is now most evident that the world has entered a new age of leisure with the tourism and travel industries evolving as the fastest growth sectors in all corners of the world. The Caribbean is well endowed as a centre for leisure with its ideal tropical island climate and its diversity of cultures. Resort hotels are seen as a major component of this industry but the demands are changing fast and the industry is developing into three main categories.
The first is the leisure hotel, which usually involves a large investor putting down a hotel plant that attracts a well known hotelier and may include "All Inclusive Resorts" and the Cruise Ship Industry. The second is the Businessman's Hotel, that is usually located close to the city hub and includes conferencing and recreational facilities. The third and perhaps most significant for the Caribbean is the locally owned and operated small hotel industry.
With the practical experience of work on several Resort Hotels including the Mount Irvine Bay Hotel and Golf Club in Tobago, the Rex St. Lucian and the Royal St. Lucian, the Club St. Lucia Resort and Racquet Club in St. Lucia, the proposed Le Paradis Resort at Praslin Bay Saint Lucia (under construction), CoCo Palm Hotel at Rodney Bay Saint Lucia and Bay Gardens Beach Resort at Reduit Beach St. Lucia, NLBA Interisland Architects has now established several strategic alliances with Metropolitan-based specialist architects, image makers (imagineers), designers and animators for the creation of theme resorts throughout the Caribbean. It is now evident that a modern holiday Resort Hotel has to offer a lot more than the old traditional formats of comfortable rooms, quality restaurants and beach facilities. Architectural skills must now be fully interactive with those of the imagineers.
The land-side facilities for Cruise Ships is another area of increasing attention for the Islands. NLBA Interisland has been instrumental in the upgrading of facilities at Point Seraphine and La Place Carenage in St Lucia.
In Trinidad the Hotel Normandie and the conference and recreational facilities at Pier 1 are significant developments spearheaded by the firm.
NLBA Architects is also very aware of the need and sensitivity required to develop the small hotel sector in the islands of the Caribbean. This sector caters more for the adventurer who wishes to visit an island and live with the people. This is the sector that promises to provide a linkage with the farmers and local artisans and entertainers. Good examples of such developments are the Manta Lodge at Speyside in Tobago, a small Inn catering specifically for deep sea divers which is fast earning a world-wide reputation and The Orange Grove Hotel and CoCo Creole Inn (formerly Candyo Inn) in Saint Lucia. There is a growing awareness of the need for more facilities of this kind throughout the islands and NLBA Interisland has been very active in promoting this sector.