New small hotel opens on West Bay Road
Locale, Grand Cayman
(CNS): A new 42-room hotel opened on the West Bay Road this weekend. Locale, while not beachfront, is the first small hotel to open in the Seven Mile Beach corridor for many years. It is located at the junction with Lawrence Boulevard and the developers described it as “great value”, offering loft-style accommodation. According to the hotel’s website, a double queen room is priced at around $350 – $400 per night.
Howard Sitzer, co-founder of HHG Advisory Services, developer and operator of the new hotel development, said in a release about the hotel’s opening, “You won’t find any overpriced mini bars or dull common spaces here. Perfect for work and play, our rooms have a distinct personality interconnected by a common mindset which encourages guests to ‘live local, stay Locale’.”
Among the various facilities, the resort has a ‘hangout lobby’, which is open to locals and guests, with communal work space and high-speed wi-fi, with areas for meetings. It also has a small outdoor swimming pool area, outdoor fitness equipment, beach kits equipped with inflatable chairs and towels. Bonfire Urban Italian Kitchen is the new hotel’s in-house restaurant.
I hate to say this, but this hotel has nothing going for it. It is practically located right against the road. There is such a cluster of buildings in the area that makes it feel ‘congested’. Don’t say anything about the pool because that does not compare to the sea and sand. Also the website pictures are somewhat misleading and one might think that the property is right on the water if they didn’t know better.
The 350.00 to 400.00 per night price tag is ridiculous, because you can book a sea view room elsewhere for the same price or less. Now some may say that there are other seemingly successful inland hotels, namely the Sunshine Suites, but at least Sunshine has landscaping and ample parking and they are a sister property to the Westin Casuarina where you can use their facilities and the beach as well.
While I am glad to see that the building was finally completed after being half built for something like ten years, it’s not what I would choose for a hotel site. It strikes me as a budget hotel that would be suitable as an ‘airport hotel’ where you can overnight near the airport for a motel price. But it doesn’t even have that going for it either.
how does HHG get these deals when they havent paid suppliers or staff from the first fiasco they tried to open until they were squeezed out
Wish you all the best guys and hope you don’t find out the hard way why this building laid vacant for so many years!
let me giv u guys som LOVE …lol ….glad something went in there…having a new building sitting there for all these yrs empty was a little of an eye sore being right on west bay road…must say place looks nice and very appealing to the eye so Congrats on that…all business in Cayman or anywhere in the world are not custom made for every man and woman…there are plenty places here in cayman that are not in my budget and guess what…i dont go there…so same thing here if your interested which i am goin to try it… if you lik it and customer service and product is good that will bring you back…if not change the channel….and if the price too high at Locale for a room and ya cant afford it and ya Local ya have stay home lol ……Good Luck guys with the new concept and business may you have plenty success
Everyone is here complaining about the room rate, have any of you looked at current room rates on island? There is a very good reason Airbnb has taken off here. Most hotels along 7Mile are $300-$1000 an night to start plus room tax and resort fees. Cayman does need more affordable options but that is not what we are building or catering to any more.
Kimpton starts at $949.50
Marriott starts at $803.00
Ritz-Carlton starts at $1400.00
Westin seems sold out most weekends so it must have best rates
Sunshine Suites starts at $349.00
Comfort Suites starts at $312.00
Margaritaville starts at $304.00
@11:13 am- you can’t seriously justify their prices by comparing them to the Ritz, Kimpton, Westin and Marriott (mainly) b/c those are 4-5 star hotels that have tons of amenities for their guests. This hotel is small, located on WB Road and has a small pool on the side of the building- no beach, no oceanviews, no lobby bar, pool bar, spa and workout facility. Sure, they can charge whatever they want, but if they really wanted to get off on the right foot, they should’ve entered at a lower price point. To your point, Air bnb has taken off, and it’s b/c their pricing is justified and families can come here and spend more money at local businesses b/c of that price structure. If the Westin and Marriott can offer local staycation rates under $200 a night, how the hell does this place justify their mark up?! it just doesn’t make sense.
People why all the negative bashing…….. Its not your money! if any of you here had the funds to open a small business like this maybe you could understand. So what if their rates are high ? cost of living in Cayman is HIGH. if they see that they are pricing themselves out of business then they will make adjustments. We have so many experts on these venues/forums that I am surprised that Cayman don’t have a lot more consulting companies. The finish building is a dammed sight better to look at than what was left there for so many years unfinished. People get over yourselves stop being so jealous/envious. It has created a few more jobs and options. I have not been there yet to the restaurant but I am going this weekend to try it out.
I have no problem with the price of the rooms. What I have a problem with is when planning approval is given to some people but enforced for others. That parking lot is too small to comply with planning rules. Same applies to planning approval for the helicopter operations in GT and the business opposite Dairy Queen. And let us not start with Dart’s approvals and duty waivers.
I’d love to know why you assume the parking lot isn’t compliant. Check out the planning agenda from their modification. They are actually over the required spaces.
12:04pm. Thank you for reply, and I agree to an extent. We all know that commercial properties differ in many ways for approvals and residential . But this property has been there for going on 10 plus years unfinished over grown bush approval given back in the day. Is it not better that it is finish and operating now than left abandon for it to become a sore eye or worst a place for criminals to hide etc. The other issues you have mentioned I am unable to make any comments on as I don’t know the politicks behind them đŸ™‚
It only received planning approval in November 2005. Construction started about 2 years after that and took years to complete.
Check the planning website it is an interesting read.
Maybe you need to think a little harder.
Whacky private sector
private money….. not ur problem.
It is sad that Cayman is pricing itself out of the tourism industry. Was watching the travel channel yesterday and saw beach front Properties in Routan starting at US$350k and the beach is very similar to SMB. If the government does not enact consumer protection laws, we are going to be up the creek without a paddle. Cayman has lost its nostalgia and we are ending up just like everywhere else.
? cayman real estate and tourism is booming…
You are actually comparing Roatan to Seven mile beach? There are parts of the world where you can buy beachfront property for $25k, and I’m sure according to you they are “very similar to SMB” also.
And what kind of “consumer protection laws” exactly are you looking for? For the government to step in a free market society and make it illegal for property owners to sell their property above a certain price?
Have you considered moving to a communist country?
I hope nobody lent or proposes to lend on the security of room receipts…
Bloody expensive. Madness!
I actually got excited when I saw the headlines thinking that it would be nice to have an inexpensive option as I like to use a hotel just as a main base to shower and sleep. $300-$400 a night- you gotta be kidding? No thank you! Too much $$!
An inexpensive option, especially one not on the beach, is under $150. a night and probably actually closer to $120 ++.
$350-400 plus 20%
Not on a beach? You are spoiled. Everything in Grand Cayman pretty much on a beach, or within 15 min. drive.
Kimpton and a beach Suites charge $600 per night so it’s not outrageous for SMB.
I think that’s the point. They imply they can find someplace cheaper close enough to the beach, which makes Locale a hard sell.
Another one to be snapped up by Dart when it soon will enter its death throes.
Too too expensive!!
Q. Where is the front door to load and offload arriving the guests, or are the taxis supposed to block northbound West Bay Road every few minutes? Where do the guests park their rental cars, Marquee? Lacovia? Turkish Castle? Who approved this building and what did they get to ignore all of the basic deficiencies?
Maybe they could use the good sized parking lot around the back ? Perhaps you should have a look?
To the rear I believe
I love the idea of them creating a ‘hangout lobby’, which is open to locals and guests in West Bay. I just hope they got good security.
This is a joke isn’t it?
You obviously don’t know where this is…read again. West Bay ROAD and Lawrence Blvd. junction. Maybe if I say “across the road and a bit north of Pizza Hut” you can figure it out?
I can say without the sarcasm that the idea of a hangout lobby is pretty cool. Would be nice to have a place to eat my lunch without having to use the tiny office kitchen or run the risk of being coerced into a conversation with coworkers
Do you understand what hanging out means?
And the food is crap
$300 and $400 a night?? You must be joking!! That’s damn expensive! It’s not on the beach and they haven’t the facilities to charge that amount either. I can get far cheaper in the US and London (UK) with well known chain hotels like Marriott etc., I think you’ll have to do better than that Locale. Should be more like $150 per night. I stayed in the Hilton Heathrow Airport 6 months ago with all the facilities for $169ci per night.
Think you will find that Heathrow Hilton is even further from SMB than Locale. Agree expensive, but that’s our island now. Comparable with Comfort Suites and Sunshine Suites, and $200 a night cheaper than the Marriott or Westin.
And the price for Comfort & Sunshine Suites is way overpriced, too.
People obviously don’t mind the price or they would not be staying there.
Haha that rate is a joke, right?? Is that the price you pay for a tiny pool on west bay road across from the gas station? Comical!
This building stood empty for years and given the logistics for this new “hotel”, it will soon be empty again.
To the birds with you ur heads in the sand. Stop crying about parking and planing laws. That building has been there for 20 years.
Yes and empty for all of those 20 years. Gee I wonder why!
It’s been there for about 10 years.
You should check again. Don’t think back to when you first arrived on island. Think. Think hard. It was there long before.
I’ve been here 20 years and it definitely hasn’t been here 20 years as I remember it being built but it’s certainly 10 years or just over that.
Well it was there well before Ivan. Do you realize that Ivan was 15 years ago? (2004)
Wrong.
And when Marnie Turner (the first owner) applied to develop the property, planning department turned her down, As I understand, it has remained the case. Lacking enough space for parking etc. Some body got paid off big time.
Parking needs depend on the type of development don’t it?
I know it is hard to imagine what kind of facility might be hiding behind those walls that have sat vacant for over a decade. But I promise you would all be super surprised as to what has materialized! At least come by and see us, meet the awesome staff and talk to us about the deals we have for locals and your visiting friends and family. The rooms are gorgeous and the open plan concept of the lobby and Bonfire restaurant is pretty darn cool, imho. But you be the judge! Swing by.
– Fiona
Hell no.
Even if your open plan concept is gorgeous, that still doesn’t justify a $350-400 price tag per night. You are not a 5 star hotel and the prices should not be that high! Also, what’s your explanation for not telling the staff of Kaaboo that had rooms booked that they weren’t ready when they showed up with their luggage back in Feb and got turned away? That’s not exactly 5 star service!
the market determines the rate. end of story.
Sorry but bonfire should go up in smoke. Fast food concept..order your food at the counter…hope to hear your name when they call it out so you collect it yourself…pay for that…order your drinks at a different counter (bar) & pay for those on a different tab. Fast food concept but food comes out slowly and not all the order at once & def not fast food prices.
I will not go back.
How does an americanised Italian restaurant support your “local” initiative? Not local in the slightest.
Soon come!
He he right outside a busy traffic stop junction, 5 star price for 3 star service he he only in cayman,
No parking, horns and loud music throughout the night. Sit outside and get wiped out by some mad idiot driver? Nahhhhhhhh I’ll pass
Where the hell I supposed to park and why do planning laws only apply to some?
maybe get out of your car some day and use alternative forms of transport?????
it won’t kill you btw…..
There is parking in the back. It’s actually a decent sized lot, you’d be surprised.
That said it should never have been approved as a 40 room hotel. The previous owner fought to have it built dating back to the 90’s and lost repeatedly at planning. She finally got the right people on the board and voila you have a giant piece of cr@p that nobody wanted.
My favorite is the outdoor gym that they constructed that faces directly onto West Bay Rd. It is right next to their splash pool.
How much a night. They are having a f#@£/+g laugh $300-$400 for a roadside budget hotel.
Welcome to rip off Cayman.
Value for money?? At $350-$400 per night, that’s a laugh!!
sounds like typical cayman…. 5 star price for 3 star quality.
but hey its a free market so let them charge what they want…market forces will soon even things out.
Where’s the parking? Planning law needs updating as most buildings have inadequate parking and this is certainly one of them.
ever try and park your car in new york or downtown miami??
caymanian’s lazy additction to cars is a sad joke….
Yet the law requires adequate parking. Funny how that works, or doesn’t as the case may be.
this is not new york or downtown miami
350-400 a night? Sorry Marriott and Westin got better rates with better amenities
Better rates? In your dreams. 30 seconds on Google will tell you Marriott currently asking 575, and the Westin a eye watering 910
Cayman soon pricing themselves out of travel market. The other islands are coming back online. Time to lower your prices.
That’s expensive, you can get a resident rate at other hotels for less than $200, ripping off tourists we see..
Resident rates are merely regular rates minus the room tax they are obligated to charge to non residents. Don’t feel too special.
Really, you’ve never been to the Westin, holiday Inn, Ritz then (we staycation atleast 6 time a yes at these three)
In all three we’ve received prices per nights ranging from US$80 to a max of $150.
Your facts are way off, maybe you need a couple of staycations.
Oh and the cheapest rate wasn’t the holiday Inn..
The key word being resident. They are selling to tourists not residents – and I guess they are aiming to hot the market that just cant afford the beachfront prices of the Marriott, Westin, Ritz and Kimpton.
We tourists see, too. The smart ones refuse to pay these outrageous prices. Do some research and you can stay for less in Cayman and on many other islands.