A $40 million project to redevelop and expand The Reefs hotel has placed Greymane Contracting squarely in the big league of the Island's construction sector.

It is the biggest single job yet undertaken by the 13-year-old company, and Greymane's reputation hinges on getting it right - and finishing on time.

A hotel owner needs assurance and belief that a redevelopment will be done on time in order they can book guests to arrive at the start of the new season without risking that their hotel will still be a building site.

The Reefs' main kitchen has already been demolished in preparation for the first phase of the project that involves a four-storey construction that will house the new kitchen on the third floor.

Greymane's tender bid was the lowest priced. However, that in itself was not all that secured the prize.

The company had to prove it had the quality of subcontractors to do the work and that it had sufficient knowledge and ideas to undertake a time-sensitive hotel construction job.

A quick scan of the corporate CV shows a number of past and present jobs involving hotels. After the damage wreaked by Hurricane Fabian on the Fairmont Southampton, it was Greymane that swung into action to repair the roof and some 600 rooms that had been affected by the 2003 storm.

The Fairmont job took five months, but it was completed on time for new guests arriving the following spring.

Greymane is currently doing work on the Fairmont Hamilton Princess' Bay Wing renovation and recently was involved in work on the cottages at Elbow Beach Hotel.

That sort of experience should stand the company in goodstead as it embarks on the $40 million contract at The Reefs, a job that will entail building a new residence club and 19 luxury suites.

The plan is to have the renovated clubhouse, main restaurant and bar and new kitchen open by April next year, with 19 two-and-three bedroom fractional ownership residences ready by April 2009.

Greymane's general manager Paul Jardine said the success in winning the contract had been down to the well managed approach put in during the tendering by the whole team, followed by the subsequent checks by The Reefs' management seeking assurance the company knew about, and could meet, the demands of the tight scheduling.

The topography of the site makes for an interesting challenge. Mr. Jardine said: "It's not the most simple site. One of the issues is the cliff and South Shore, and then there is the road on the other side."

Not disturbing hotel guests with noisy construction equipment is another challenge. However, at least until next April that will not be a concern as the hotel prepares to shut down for the winter.

But Greymane commercial manager Alex DeCouto observes: "We have an immovable deadline to meet (April 1)."

An unusual side project at The Reefs will be the placing a dozen or so igloo-like nest boxes into the cliff face for longtail birds to use each year. The cliff itself is protected and will not be disturbed by the development - other than for the placing of the longtail homes.

Mr. Jardine said: "This project is important to us as it makes us a major player on the island. It is very important to David Dodwell (The Reefs president). This is going to be looked at closely by others.

"We have worked hard to create the company we have today that can handle more than one project at a time."

In a statement, The Reefs' Mr. Dodwell said: "This expansion project has been a long time in development and, for me, it is crucial the right team is assembled to bring this dream to fruition.

"Greymane's capable management team, most competitive pricing, and planning abilities have been integral to their selection. I am pleased to have them as our partner."