By Gemma Handy
The fate of a vast steel structure in Valley Road – once tipped to be a Best Western Premier hotel but never completed – hangs in the balance after Canadian billionaire Calvin Ayre confirmed he had not bought the site.
A spokesperson for Ayre told Observer yesterday that no such sale had ever taken place.
The news directly contradicts statements from the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Lionel Hurst who told local media repeatedly that Ayre had purchased the property, which was consequently set to be completed and branded by a leading North American hotel chain.
Hurst told Observer in a WhatsApp message on February 28 that Ayre had bought both the land and the unfinished building and was already in negotiations with various high-end hotels.
Hurst repeated those claims at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing several days later. His comments were also carried in a subsequent state media newscast.
“The intention is to turn it into a hotel that is stamped with the approval of a well-known North American chain,” Hurst said in the ABS broadcast. “However, that agreement, as I understand it, has not yet been fully inked. As soon as it is fully inked we will know which of the chains it will be.”
Hurst also sought to explain why work had not yet started.
“The high standards that will be set by the American hotel chain must be met. They cannot yet commence the full construction of the building without knowing what the plans are,” he added.
On Tuesday, however, Hurst told Observer he had been “mistaken”.
“I described the unfinished steel frame building seen from the road past Jolly Beach as purchased by a well-known investor. In fact, it was not. I was mistaken,” he admitted.
Hurst said the five-storey structure is still owned by the investor who had hoped to build the Best Western. He added that the building was now considered to be “abandoned property” as the investor had relocated. The investor could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, the rusting hulk of steel continues to loom over neighbouring homes, infuriating local residents who say it’s a blight on the landscape and could have a detrimental effect on their property prices.
On Tuesday, the area’s MP Kelvin Simon described the structure as an “eyesore and a health hazard” and said he had been contacted by numerous residents about it.
Simon called on the government to take immediate action.
“Now the lie has been dispelled, it needs to be either completed or demolished. There are people with multi-million dollar properties in the surrounding area which are being devalued,” he told Observer.
Simon added that he planned to launch a petition for residents to sign calling for the building to be removed if it is not to be finished.
The Best Western Premier had been set to comprise 126 suites, a fitness centre, two pools, two restaurants and a cocktail bar. It was tipped to become the largest internationally branded hotel in Antigua.
Suites were to be sold from US$400k offering buyers the chance to apply for an Antigua and Barbuda passport.
Construction began in 2016 before grinding to a halt in 2019.