Hodges Bay Resort denies restricting access to the beach

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DCA PHOTO

We note with concern and hereby express our consternation in relation to the misrepresentation and mixed messages, being pushed from divers ’quarters, in respect of Hodges Bay Resort & Spa’s compliance with the established COVID19 protocols of the Ministry of Health of Antigua & Barbuda and the erection of a barrier – which has since been taken down- while providing an alternate and safer way for the public to access the beach during the pandemic.

These wild and irresponsible comments represent, among others, poor judgment and has negatively impacted the experience of our guests, Antigua and Barbuda’s age-long reputation for the privacy of visitors to its shores, and the management and staff who are committed to being responsible agents and actors during this most critical period of great challenge and circumstances occasioned by the COVID19 pandemic.

Over the past few days, the public has called to question Hodges Bay Resort & Spa’s compliance with the established COVID19 protocols of the Ministry of Health of Antigua & Barbuda. We wish to state categorically that Hodges Bay Resort & Spa has been complying with and continue to honour and observe the COVID19 protocols with which we were provided by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

We are sympathetic to concerns properly raised, in some quarters and genuinely intend to continue reviewing our practices during these changing times.

We have had discussions with the Minister of Tourism, Honourable Charles Fernandez as well as the Directors & Executives of the Antigua & Barbuda Hotels & Tourism Association on the concerns and stand ready to continue our discussions with the government of Antigua and Barbuda as well as any relevant stakeholders in fashioning a strategy to balance, on the one hand, the continuous inflow of visitors to the shores of this lovely island, and on the other to manage the possible risks to staff and guests, inherent in operating this resort during these surreal times.

In May 2020, our team was instrumental in the process of developing the initial protocols established for the hospitality industry. In the interest of safeguarding our staff, their families and by extension the community, the protocols put in place for our resort operations far exceeded the established protocols. We implemented electronic wellness reporting which facilitates our staff reporting first signs of illness before reporting for duty. To our knowledge, we are the only hotel that implemented this feature of COVID19 protocols. We went further and expressed to our employees that if they don’t feel well, let us know and immediately we will arrange medical assessment and COVID19 testing at no cost to the employee.

Our highest priority remains the safeguarding of our staff, their families and the Antiguan & Barbudan community in which we operate. There has been much social media debate about Hodges Bay Resort & Spa blocking access to the public beach. The beaches of this beautiful twin-island state is an asset of all Antiguans and Barbudans. As a nation whose economy is driven by tourism, we share the beaches with visitors to our shores. At no point were locals ever denied access to the beach. This has always been and will continue to be the case.

On the day in question, we had several celebrities in-house and we learnt of a social media personality who decided to invite his followers to come to the beach at Hodges Bay. Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to erect a barrier to all for flow-controlled access given the very small size of the beach, the need to be able to support the government’s contact tracing initiatives and the need to protect the Hodges Bay Resort Bubble. Having noticed that the crowd was not overwhelming we immediately removed the barrier.

We are a tourism-dependent country, and we are at a stage where the competition is very great. We at Hodges Bay Resort & Spa are doing all we can to keep our staff and guests safe and to provide an income for our employees so they can continue to support their families.
We wish to remind all, that racial slurs and insult on social media does not help our industry and only damages the prospect for a bounce-back in tourism of Antigua and Barbuda at a time when we are most vulnerable. We as a society are better and can do better than that.

Since the racial slurs and insults, we have lost forward bookings and would have had to refund a number of our in-house guests as a measure of assurance that everything is okay. This type of behaviour is simply not good for our tourism product. During this pandemic, we are one of a few Hotels that never closed its doors, and we continue to fight through this pandemic with our wonderful team of employees who we commend for their bravery and gallant efforts as we fight for every dollar available in the marketplace to support them and their families.

We continue to offer our support and play our part in the struggle to keep Antigua and Barbuda a safe place for all during these times of great economic stress and instability occasioned by the COVID19 pandemic.

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26 COMMENTS

  1. This statement by Hodges Bay Resort is pure hog wash. Whether you had celebrities or not,you cannot block access to public beaches .And if you are following protocols that were put in place ,are you saying the the videos that are been circulated with your guest without mask dancing in very close proximity with each other is false ? We as antiguan’s fought for our rights ,and although tourism is our main industry ,no one should be allow to stop us from accessing our beaches.

  2. “Since the racial slurs and insults, we have lost forward bookings and would have had to refund a number of our in-house guests as a measure of assurance that everything is okay. This type of behaviour is simply not good for our tourism product. During this pandemic, we are one of a few Hotels that never closed its doors, and we continue to fight through this pandemic with our wonderful team of employees who we commend for their bravery and gallant efforts as we fight for every dollar available in the marketplace to support them and their families.”…

    Let’s all say it together….B—S–TTTTTTTTT!!!

    If they wanted to erect a barrier or whatever they want to call it, what they should’ve done was have a discussion with the Ministry and DCA. Cry me a river. Tourists coming to our island during a pandemic does more for your hotel than Antigua. Yes taxi driver get some $, but where are the tourists going while here. Instead of telling us what YOU suffered, how about putting a blog or a section on your website that tells tourists and visitors what’s expected of them while they’re here. Your parents always tell you that when you go to someone’s house to be on your best behavior right? Remind your guests…..

  3. This statement is garbage. Every time this hotel does some nonsensical BS and they are called out on it, they put out a statement blaming others. All they seem to care about is celebrities and debauchery. They need to go back to where they come from.

  4. Why must we always be the victims. This is about right and wrong . Stop blaming Antiguans and Barbudans . We have rights and we shall stand up for what is ours.

  5. Hodges Bay Resort and Spa wants to be wrong and strong. Just admit that you restricted public access to the beach and facilitate your guests when they breach the COVID 19 protocols. The public would be more forgiving if you took responsibility for your actions.

    I don’t know why they thought they could erect a barrier to a public beach and get away with it. They should be fined for breaching the law.

  6. Why is this hotel constantly claiming innocence for breaching or laws and Covid-19 protocols? In the videos the numerous guests were all enjoying themselves without mask. What was alarming for me was the one by the pool where a mask-less local waitress is seen serving drinks to the guests. If she gets Covid-19 from being exposed to one of the partying guests who are allowed not to wear mask and she transmits it to her family and friends it is called non-imported cases and the locals get blamed. Laws and protocols are for EVERYBODY, foreign and local, monied and financially struggling!

  7. To the Management/Owners of Hodges Bay Resort. Clean up your damn acts.You are exhaling a negative posture on my Country,Antigua.Get your your crap together and cleaned up your acts.You are in the news for the wrong reasons.

  8. I have had it with the ABLP to the point where I am prepared to join UPP. Antigua can only hold two parties.
    But that was until I heard Harold Lovell say that he is ready to take the vaccine. He sounded so eager, like a boy getting ready for his first baptism into manhood.

    While it is true that all of us have to take the vaccine eventually, I see no reason why Lovell should be in such a rush to declare he is going to take the vaccine. I don’t know if he thinks he will be scoring some sort of brownie points by doing this. What I do know is that he will be playing into Gaston Browne’s hand again, just like he did with the CCJ and the Five Islands Campus, and others.
    Here is my argument. In an effort to cover his selfish and cheapside move by taking the Moderna vaccine, Gaston Browne seems to be herding everybody to the vaccine chair quick fast and in a hurry. He does not want it be still tomorrow’s talk, so he is deflecting. Remember, he is very good at that. No longer do the frontline workers seem so important. He has to jab all Parliamentarians quick, fast and in a hurry, and that includes his; and the opposition’s, through Harold Lovell. Because if Lovell takes it, then so would his team. My bet is that Gaston will set up a publicity jabbing event for Harold and his band of Merrymen and get maximum speed out of this.
    Harold you might be brighter than Gaston, but he is way smarter and more devious than you, and he catches you everytime. What’s the rush? You need to be bleeding Gaston for the Moderna faux pas; coming out and showing what an awful, selfish, deceitful leader he is. You ought to be doing like Bill Gates and wait your turn, after the frontline workers have gotten their jabs. And Gates is the man who paid for the creation of the vaccine. You are not being clever by declaring yourself so fast and playing in Gaston’s hands. That is what he expected from you and you are not disappointing him.
    This is what I think will happen. Sometime in the next 4 days or so, you will assemble your Team to Redeem to be vaccined and Gaston will smile that diabolical smile of his. The one like where the cat is about to spring the trap on the rat. You are not making good decisions for your party. You are too coward, and because of that you are doing things only for the Labour party to approve of you. Your members and supporters should be rebuking you on your vaccine pronouncement, but many of them have their own problems. Pringle is still smarting from the per capita incident, and he has gone underground. Never mind Gaston himself messed up big time too. You know what he said? He’s doing a Pringle. Giselle Isaacs is hiding because she is afraid for people to ask her why she said the non-nationals made UPP lose the last election. No one has come out to dispute this with Trevor Young. Except for a feeble threat to him just before his press conference, not a sound was heard.
    So what’s next? My advice to you Harold is not to parade your team in front of ABS cameras to get jabbed for Gaston’s gratification. Play some politics. Let people know that you will take it but not when he says, but when your party is ready. Don’t let him beat you again because you were too fast on the trigger (again) to fall into his trap.
    I want to come over but you’re not giving me any encouragement, Jack. Too much niceness and not enough politics. Too much stushness and not enough fight. I am thinking of DNA, but, we’ll see. But notice Joanne Massiah did not jump the gun like you and declare. You need to learn to play poker and get your shoes muddy up. If you handle this badly, I am going to come and get Big Tabor and a few of the guys and start a party. You are not a political leader. You don’t have any fight in you.

    GETTING READY TO JUMP

    • Why don’t u just shut da f*** up. Aru say aru want see dem tek um fust cause aru nah trust da f***** vaccine. Now dem ten um aru f****** vex. Mek up aru f******* mind. Ya f***** sickening now ya f******* parasite troll

      • @covidiot…tell me about them! What me like about covid is that when it catches them in their ignorance there will be no relenting.

  9. I could not agree with Letter vaccine politics more…. on another note Only the heavenly father can come down and tell me Gaston took Vaccine. He is so bold about everything and he already declared that he would be the first to take it openly, then why would he do this in secret makes absolutely no sense…

  10. Good to hear that you are abiding by Covid protocols.
    Also good to hear that you were able to stay open.

    Sounding great. One thing though, can you please pay up severance money outstanding? Those persons also have to eat and families to feed.

    This highfalutin, lacking both accountability and sensitivity press release is unimpressive.
    Literally not even a sorry.

  11. Well their statement contradicts what was posted earlier.

    https://anrupdate.com/dca-removes-barrier-to-beach-access-at-hodges-bay-resort/

    Blame dictator and traitor Gaston and all his cronies for all this. When the govt treats visitors one way and us a different way as their minions, this is no surprise. We can’t do anything whereas the visitors have more freedoms to move about. They can even visit offshore islands and we can’t. However, again you have to blame dictator and traitor Gaston’s son for the video that went viral.

    Where are Nigel Christian’s murderers? Why haven’t they been caught? No one seems to be doing anything about finding his murderers now. This stinks of high ranking officials involved.
    Where are Nigel Christian’s murderers? Why haven’t they been caught? No one seems to be doing anything about finding his murderers now. This stinks of high ranking officials involved.
    Where are Nigel Christian’s murderers? Why haven’t they been caught? No one seems to be doing anything about finding his murderers now. This stinks of high ranking officials involved.

  12. If too many people show up on de beach tek all you rich kent an gan bah inside the place. I shoulda tek my fishin rod down there an ketch akon wid um. Bare licks when I land his rass. You got all dat fukken money and you gon Hodges Bay hotel ?? loool

  13. I live not far from that hotel and I get the feeling that some funny business happens behind closed doors over there, not quite sure what that hotel is being used for, maybe some more investigating needs to be done into that hotel, I feel there is more happening than meets the eye. They seem to draw some strange characters.

  14. “We at Hodges Bay Resort & Spa are doing all we can to keep our staff and guests safe and to provide an income for our employees so they can continue to support their families.”

    The lies and deceit!!!! Almost A WHOLE YEAR LATER and y’all still owe severed staff they moneyyyyyyyyy! They don’t have families to feed too?

    Y’all are a mess!!!!!

    And that lady that made this statement at the press conference, first of all she needed to NOT read it word for word… But then again, how can you read LIES with a straight face anyway?? .. she should be ashamed. Taking the brunt of it for the owner who is too much of a coward to show his face.

    Pawns and puppets dem be. Make wellamayor speak to the public!

  15. Rubbish hodges bay resort chatting wat goes for us goes for the tourist an them don’t get me wrong yes some of us need the tourist to come so we can make money to survive but it doesn’t mean there to come here an do what they want these a protocol set to follow on the island so respect it what goes for one goes for all

  16. This press release is awful.

    It is tone deaf.
    It is playing victim
    It does not even include ONE sentence to even say sorry for the confusion/perception
    It has garnered MORE outrage. So what was the point??

    Generate some goodwill and at least pay the severed workers who have not received their money. You cannot run from that obligation.
    Who is running this place or advising them?

    Berating locals won’t help at all in either scenario.

    Do better, please. Find some compassion jack.

  17. Editor…….I know I am not the only “Alex” in the world or country, however is it possible to prevent two bloggers from using the same name? I have been using Alex for quite some time and ever so often I see a blogger using the same name. For some reason I thought the blogger name was verified by the email on file. Thanks!

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