First Look: Inside the $3.5 billion Baha Mar resort project

by Brian Major
Last updated: 11:02 AM ET, Mon March 24, 2014

PHOTO: Baha Mar's 100,000 square foot casino will feature a sports book and exclusive VIP gaming rooms. (Photos courtesy of Baha Mar)

Baha Mar Resorts Ltd. issued the first renderings of the $3.5 billion Baha Mar development, scheduled to open in December 2014 as "the biggest destination project in the Western Hemisphere," according to company officials.

The 1,000-acre development will be located along a 3,000-foot long section of Nassau's Cable Beach and feature properties from Grand Hyatt, Melia Hotels and Resorts, Mondrian and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, in addition to the property's centerpiece, the Baha Mar Casino & Hotel.

Intended as "The ultimate getaway destination for affluent travelers," in the words of Sarkis Izmirlian, Baha Mar's CEO, the Baha Mar Casino & Hotel will feature the Baha Mar Ultra Villa Roxie, an exclusive villa for VIP guests with interiors designed by performer and designer Lenny Kravitz. The Grammy award-winning artist, who named the villa after his mother, will also design interiors for the Baha Mar Casino & Hotel's nightclub.

The Baha Mar Hotel & Casino's 100,000-square-foot casino will incorporate a sports book and five VIP gaming rooms, plus private villas for exclusive gaming experiences.

Each resort property will offer a distinct experience. The Rosewood at Baha Mar will feature traditional British Colonial architecture and offer 200 beach-view rooms and suites, five beachfront villas, fine dining venues, pools and Sense, the company's branded spa.

The Mondrian will feature 300 distinctive designer rooms, including 107 private residences. The 700-room Grand Hyatt will offer upscale accommodations and include 85 private residences.

Melia Hotels International's 694-room Melia at Baha Mar, a new all-inclusive hotel on the site of the former Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, will complete the resort's five properties.

In all, property's five resorts will offer a combined 2,900 rooms and residences, 40 restaurants, nightclubs and bars, upscale shopping, several pool complexes and an 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course. Bahamian art will be incorporated as a feature of the guest experience, with a fine art gallery showcasing indigenous creations produced on site.