Bahamas Prime Minister Perry G. Christie and Tourism Minister Obediah H. Wilchcombe joined Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas’ grand opening festivities Friday evening, March 31. Recalling his own adventures on this property (which has gone through several owners), the prime minister promised the assembled crowd, “This is going to be a very romantic destination.”
The Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas is an adults-only (i.e. 18 years and older) all-inclusive that welcomes singles and friends as well as couples. It occupies the 12-story tower that was the Paradise Island Harbour Club, and Warwick Hotels & Resorts (WHR) has put close to US $50 million into renovating and, essentially, reinventing it.
Modernist Makeover
The new hotel has 250 rooms characterized by a clean, uncluttered look that pleases Warren Chiu, son of WHR founder-president Richard Chiu and an alum of the Rhode Island School of Design. Interiors have white walls with pastel or wood accents, flooring that evokes the bleached wood of Cape Cod, and semi-abstract paintings by a contemporary Bahamian artist. All five categories of rooms include multiple power ports, dual bedside USB inputs, and complimentary WiFi. Beyond the guestrooms and suites, the Warwick offers five dining options, two bars, a free-form swimming pool with palm trees on mid-pool islands, a fitness center, a spa, meetings space, tennis, bicycles, wedding facilities, entertainment, activities, and a tour desk.
This all-inclusive overlooks the channel between Paradise and New Providence islands, about which Ilyse Prokocimer-Karwoski, director of sales and marketing, says, “The harbor location is more interesting than the ocean; there’s more going on. Its location also means that no one is coming up to you on our property to braid your hair or sell you things.” There is a small, man-made beach on the waterway, but, says Prokocimer-Karwoski, “More guests hang around the pool.”
Tour Operators’ Input
WHR bought the property about three years ago, but before starting the renovations, the company wanted to carefully determine what sort of market it could best serve, explains Prokocimer-Karwoski. “I contacted 25 tour operators to hear their ideas,” she recalls, “and there wasn’t one who didn’t urge us to make this an adults-only all-inclusive.”
With direct booking, a week for two starts at about $2,600; multiple tour operators in the United States and Canada also offer the new Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas. For more information, visit warwickhotels.com/paradise-island-bahamas.
