Rosewood Bermuda will reopen to guests on July 2, the resort announced yesterday, with more than 40 rooms already booked.

Chris Maybury, a representative of hotel owner Gencom, said more than 40 rooms were already booked and that the hotel would be able to bring back some of the resort’s 220 staff.

But he said the number of people re-employed would depend on demand.

Mr Maybury said: “We just made the decision this week and are marketing.

“As soon as we can market and fill those rooms, we will get people back to work.”

He added many people wanted a safe, clean getaway, and Bermuda was an ideal location.

Mr Maybury said: “In our opinion, the Government of Bermuda has handled this worldwide pandemic as well or better than anyone else.

“Our partnership with them is the reason we are able to open early.

“We believe there is safety on this island and clients of this beautiful hotel can come here and perhaps not so in many other places.

He added: “We are close to New York, and it’s ideal for people who want to travel.”

Mr Maybury said that meetings were held last week about the potential reopening of the Fairmont Southampton, which Gencom bought last year.

He said: “It is a day-to-day discussion. We will reopen as soon as we can.”

Sascha Hemmann, the managing director of Rosewood, in Tucker’s Point, said the hotel was pleased to be able to welcome guests — and staff — just a day after the airport was scheduled to reopen.

He added: “As we adapt to the new normal, we remain dedicated to creating healthy and memorable visits for our guests.

“We are delighted to reopen our doors and invite visitors, members and locals alike to relish the beauty of the destination in Rosewood Bermuda’s safe and vibrant setting.”

Mr Hemmann said that the resort had adopted strict health and safety procedures to protect staff and visitors, and the spacious layout of the resort made social-distancing easy.

Mr Hemmann added that the majority of the new bookings were made by residents who wanted a “staycation”.

Zane DeSilva, the tourism minister, said he was pleased to see progress that would put Bermudians back to work.

He added: “The Government of Bermuda is pleased to see the island moving forward and we will continue to keep the safety of Bermuda and her residents paramount as we carefully reopen our economy allowing persons back to work and our visitors to return to Bermuda.”

Mr DeSilva added he was optimistic about the future of the tourism industry, but still worried about the impact of the global pandemic.

He said: “We need to get the hotels open. We have business owners that this is having a strong effect on financially and we have over 2,000 people in the sector, and we need to get them back to work.”

Mr DeSilva added: “I’m pushing like hell to get this island back to normal.”