'No conflict between SDO and our green mission'

But the company says there is no conflict between its connection to the development and its self-proclaimed status as a ‘green’ firm.

The company sees itself as an environmental employer and has posted a mission statement on its website stating: “Rosewood Hotels & Resorts promises to Value the Earth’s Resources and Demonstrate Environmental Sensitivity. We vow to be noble stewards of nature and proactively seek ways to conduct our business in a manner that puts environmental responsibility and sustainability at the forefront of our business objectives.”

Bermudians who object to the granting of a Special Development Order for Tucker’s Point have flooded the company with emails pointing out what they see as hypocrisy.

But Kersten Rettig, spokesperson for Rosewood, said the company was not involved in the debate over the zoning of the land.

She said it had a proven track record of sustainable management, even going as far as employing an on-staff biologist to help maintain the natural environment at one of its hotels in Mayakoba, Mexico.

“We don’t own Tucker’s Point, it is not our issue. We believe Tucker’s Point has been forthcoming with information, Government has done its due diligence. But we are a management company; we do not own the land. As part of our corporate foundation we do our best to manage hotels in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable way and we have been recognized for that.”

She said she hoped the issue could be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

“I have has so many e-mails from Bermudians about this and we have great compassion for all parties. We care about the situation and we want some resolution that everyone can be happy with.”

She said the company had faith that the resort could be a success story for Bermuda.

Protesters have expressed concern that if the SDO is granted, Bermuda could be giving away acres of open space to help a struggling hotel that could go bust anyway.

Options

But Ms Rettig said the company had options all over the world and would not have chosen Tucker’s Point if it did not think it could survive and prosper.

“We have a great deal of confidence in that property, otherwise we wouldn’t be talking to them,” she said.

She would not go into detail about the nature of the deal between Rosewood and Tucker’s Point, but the resort’s president Ed Trippe has said that it is dependent on the SDO being approved.

Ms Rettig said: “We hope that it passes because we really want to be in Bermuda. We love Tucker’s Point, we love Bermuda. We have opportunities all over the world. We only really get serious about properties that fit with our unique culture. We have loyal Rosewood guests and we are looking forward to introducing them to this destination.”

She said she understood why people might be concerned about the financial situation of the hotel, reported in the press.

But she said Rosewood had a strong track record of success, had won multiple awards and would bring proven management and marketing strategies to the hotel and to Bermuda.

“We have a very strong sales and marketing team and they can’t wait to market Bermuda to our clients.”