Partly underwater hotel approved for Antigua and Barbuda

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has given approval to a Norwegian engineering and construction group to build a green-energy hotel in the waters off the island.
The Brova Idea Pearl Hotel is expected to adopt a design style that pushes the boundaries of the world of architectural design – partial submersion in water!
The government hopes the innovative design will in itself be an attraction that will help re-define and renew the attractiveness of Antigua and Barbuda.
The Norwegian group has, reportedly, been successfully operating hotels of this kind in Europe and China.
Minister of Information, Broadcasting, Telecommunications & Information Technology, Melford Nicholas, commented on the concept of this hotel during the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing on Friday, saying: “I believe if it does materialize into a development project, that it will add to the diversity of the type of facilities that will be made available in our tourism product.”
According to notes from the Cabinet, the Brova Idea Pearl Hotel will contain 170 rooms and cost an estimated 130 million Euros to construct and equip. The construction group assured the Cabinet that it has already acquired funding through Duetsche Bank.
According to the group, Antigua and Barbuda was selected because of its many shoreline indentations and the possibility of building within a sheltered bay.
Upon completion in 30 months, or by November 2021, the hotel is likely to employ more than 200 permanent staff.
The Brova Idea Pearl Hotel team is expected to submit the architectural plans, the Environmental Impact Assessment, and the letters from the bank giving assurances of funding.