Roy’s Inn buckles, 23 workers on breadline

The hotel sector took a serious dent this week when Roy’s Inn closed its doors taking with it just over seven per cent of the hotel rooms in St. Vincent.

The Kingstown hotel had 22 rooms. Though that number is small, when viewed within the national context of only 322 hotel rooms, it looms large.{{more}}

The closure has also put 23 workers on the breadline after the bank repossessed the property where an auditing firm along with staff from the St. Vincent Co-operative Bank were busy going through assets at the unoccupied hotel building at Kingstown Park.

Proprietor and Manager of Roy’s Inn, Leroy Lewis, told the Searchlight that he was eager to get back into business soon.

“We are not at that location but as soon as we relocate we would let the public know …we would continue to provide the same service we have being providing for the past years.”

It’s the second time in less than three years that a hotel located at that property has closed raising questions about the financial viability of a hotel located inland and away from the beach. In 2003 Camelot Inn, which was located at the same location, closed.

Tourism Minister Glen Beache said he was unfamiliar with the reasons for the closure of Roy’s Inn but the development was a cause for worry especially against the background that there are only 21 hotels with a total of 322 rooms on the island and the fact that Cricket World Cup 2007 looms.

“It is a major loss to our room capacity. Any closure of hotels here in St. Vincent would be a major loss to our room capacity especially for Cricket World Cup … but I am hoping it reopens pretty quick,” Beache told the Searchlight.

He said that the closure would put a serious dent on hotel accommodation on mainland St. Vincent.