After a more than two-decade hiatus in new hotel construction in the territory, local leaders and speakers heralded Friday the prospects of increased revenue and job opportunities that St. Thomas’ Hampton by Hilton is expected to deliver leading up to and after its opening in 2025.
The official groundbreaking was held on-site in Havensight Friday, bringing together all the people who made the project possible.
“This is a very special occasion, not only because we’re throwing the first pile that will become the foundation of this very important project, but because it’s an occasion where we celebrate the effort and dedication and commitment from a lot of people, and a lot of effort that has been put in to be where we are standing today,” said Pablo Maturana, Hilton’s vice president of development throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
That includes members of the Senate who helped sponsor and push through a rezoning of the site, the project’s developer Sean Miller, who speakers said cemented the partnership and members of the Government Employees’ Retirement System board, who jumped at the chance to bring new life to the area.
GERS’ Administrator Angel Dawson — the system manages the Havensight Mall — said the development includes the construction of the five-story, 126-room hotel with parking facilities and a visitor welcome center, along with an adjacent green space.
“Inertia is the word of the day — the tendency of a body in motion to remain in motion and the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest unless another force causes its speed or direction to change,” Dawson said. “We, admittedly, have been in a state of inertia in the Virgin Islands with regards to building hotel properties and what Sean has done is to come in as a force that has commandeered and changed the speed of the direction of development in the territory. And the GERS is proud to be a partner.”
Miller, who Dawson referenced, was the driving force behind Standard Aviation and was inspired to form Haven Development after realizing pilots and other service-industry workers didn’t necessarily have a place to stay overnight. The land used for the hotel is owned by GERS, which will not invest in the hotel but rather lease the property to its developer.
“In explaining the need for a select service business hotel, I started looking for places that would be appropriate,” Miller said Friday, adding that he initially approached V.I. Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe — the agency is the landlord for Standard Aviation — about the project, then engaged GERS, met with the Legislature to discuss the rezoning, and picked back up on talks with Hilton after negotiations for the site closed.
“In selecting the brand, we were excited to hear that Hilton wanted to return to the territory after nearly 30 years,” Miller said. “In working with Hilton, they shared research showing what a major impact the hotel will have on the Havensight Mall. I am excited to bring new visitors to the area and engage with all tenants to include them in an online marketplace for our guests. Working with the Chamber of Commerce, they are elated to have a new business hotel to support economic growth,” he said.
