The search for a new owner for Rosewood Tucker’s Point is continuing, but managing director Paul Telford remains upbeat about business at the resort.

While what happens next will be up to the eventual owners, Mr Telford said there is still room for growth at the Hamilton Parish site.

“We have been open for almost seven years, and what we have noticed is that there’s a lot of business with families,” he said. “We’re seeing the grandparents coming in with the kids and the grandkids, and we have tried to build on that. We have a number of suites — we have 20 suites in total — and we can make up one-bedroom suites and two-bedroom suites. Certainly in July and August we sell a lot of that.

“Really, what we’re doing here at Rosewood Tucker’s Point is trying to build the group base — group business is the base that most of the hotels on the Island need to build on — and then fill in with transient visitors on top of that.

“We are trying to build the social aspect as well with birthday parties, families, destination weddings, that sort of stuff, but we are seeing growth in that business, that family business.”

Asked about recent planning applications, which proposed the addition of further convention facilities, he said: “The plans that were put in were more about the things that a new owner could potentially do. I don’t know that it will necessarily happen. It is certainly a possibility, but the resort hasn’t sold.

“If we had a little bit more function space or meeting space that we could use to cater to groups, we could cater to multiple groups at one time in the hotel. In the long-term, once you are able to have that ability to cater to groups, then you can increase the room inventory and you are able to take more group business. We have a pretty good infrastructure here. Our kitchens are big and we have our own laundry which can support the whole resort and then some. We have the beach club and the golf club, so we have a good base, core infrastructure on which to build. That’s why we want to start off by building that shoulder period and groups and maybe looking at getting more function space. Then might come the moment when we think we might need to add more rooms.

“That’s the long-term, but we have to get through receivership and the sale first. Hopefully a new owner will subscribe to that long-term strategy and put some funds towards it.”

Mr Telford also said that the subject of seeking a casino on the property would be up to the eventual purchaser of the resort. While he emphasised that casinos would not be a cure-all for the tourism industry, he said it could be a positive element, providing visitors with something else to do on the Island.

He said the America’s Cup in 2017 should also give the industry a needed boost, saying that the World Series event last October had helped visitor numbers.

“We did get a boost from it, so it did contribute,” he said. “We were advised by the America’s Cup Event Authority that typically with the series races that we would not see as much of a blip on occupancy as we will see for the finals. Obviously they are not as big a draw, but we did see a boost.

“That bodes well for America’s Cup. If we can expect to see some busy days with the America’s Cup, that’s great. We are looking forward to it.”

Asked if he was concerned by the distance between the resort and Dockyard, where the bulk of America’s Cup activities will take place, he replied that the issue could be rectified.

“It’s a long distance by land, it’s not by water,” he said. “You could get someone from here or Flatts Village to there in 15, 20 minutes.

“It’s a challenge that I think Bermudians can resolve. I think it would be huge to make that kind of connection, and if we can it would be great.”