Preliminary work has started on the redevelopment of the Fairmont Southampton hotel.

The announcement was made yesterday by Westend Properties and its managing partner, Gencom, the investment group that acquired the hotel in 2019.

A press statement said: “These early phases of demolition and site preparation are crucial to enabling the complete overhaul of the resort to move forward.”

John Hogan, the senior vice-president of architecture and construction at Gencom, said BCM Construction and Insulcon Maintenance, both Bermudian companies, were hired to help with the initial stages of the renovations.

He added: “We are at a critical juncture in the construction process and having local talent on board is invaluable to making sure all the necessary preliminary work is done right.”

BCM Construction, which is contracted for the project’s duration, will play a primary role in work scheduled for the beach club and other “exterior amenities”, the statement said.

It added: “In the weeks to come, the focus will be on site set-up and security, stripping out of the buildings and structures that will be retained, demolishing the buildings and structures that are no longer needed, and completing the surveying work for the layout of new infrastructure.”

Mike Elwes, the president and chief executive of BCM Construction, said: “Back in the early 1970s, BCM built the original hotel and we are very pleased to be part of the team working on the Fairmont Southampton’s rebirth.

“No one should underestimate the difficulty of reaching this point given what the world has been through.

“It may have taken a little longer than we all had hoped, but this renovation project will benefit many Bermudians and Bermudian companies in the short term, and the whole of Bermuda for decades to come.”

Insulcon Maintenance will upgrade off-site housing at Faraway and Astwood Cove to accommodate more than 100 staff members.

The work will include installing new flooring and air conditioning, replacing windows, refurbishing kitchen and bathroom cabinets, interior painting and minor plumbing repairs.

Keith Hodgkins, the company’s managing director, said: “The Insulcon team is very excited to start working on the Southampton project.

“While the start of this work has been a long time coming, the opening of the hotel is desperately needed for Bermuda and we’re happy to do everything we can to help move this process along.”

Alessandro Colantonio, the chief investment officer of Gencom, added: “Since the project restart was announced last December, Gencom has been working methodically through the critical logistics and timelines to get to this point.

“We look forward to providing additional updates in the weeks ahead as the Fairmont Southampton renovation process continues.”

Westend Properties announced last month that it planned to start work at the resort in January. Construction would start in “early 2024”.