Top 'Caribbean Escape' closes in Turks and Caicos

By DANICA COTO

The Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An exclusive resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands that catered to celebrities and offered personal butlers and a pillow menu has closed after less than two years of operation.

The owner of Nikki Beach Resort&Spa — Leeward Resort Ltd. — has been placed into receivership, General Manager Jonathan Steers said.

"We are working tirelessly to ensure our ... staff acquires new employment and that our guest reservations are relocated smoothly," Steers said in a brief statement Friday.

It was unclear how many employees were laid off and how many reservations were affected at the Providenciales-based resort, which offered 48 rooms and suites. Steers did not respond to requests for further comment.

The resort, which the Travel Channel rated No. 2 on its list of the "21 Hottest Caribbean Escapes" this year, is the latest one in the region to close amid the global economic crisis. Jamaica's Rose Hall Hotel, owned by the Spanish company Iberostar Hotels and Resorts, closed last month, and the luxury Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma in the Bahamas closed in May after master development owner EBR Holdings Ltd. of London failed to meet debt obligations.

Other major resorts have laid off hundreds of employees, including the Atlantis in the Bahamas, owned by Kerzner International Bahamas Limited.

Nikki Beach was a good brand to help promote the Turks and Caicos, said Ralph Higgs, marketing director for the islands' Tourism Board.

"Obviously a closure of any resort in our country has an implication for the economy," he said Saturday.

The British Caribbean Bank will manage the 430-acre (175-hectare) resort and 110-slip mega-yacht marina until a buyer appears, according to ads it took out in local newspapers.

The resort, which offered Bvlgari bath products and an infinity pool with beds resembling those of 19th-century opium dens, had attracted guests such as actor Denzel Washington and New York Yankees star Derek Jeter. Rates ranged from $350 to nearly $3,000 a night.

Nikki Beach Resort&Spa opened in April 2008 and offered a "recession-friendly" anniversary party this year that featured discounted airfares and room rates, according to a news release.

The resort had planned to build one- and two-bedroom condominiums and open a spa, casino and several restaurants next year.

Nikki Beach still operates resorts in Miami; New York; Hollywood, California; and Thailand, among others.

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September 14, 2009 12:21 AM EDT

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