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News : Grand Bahama Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM


Pelican Bay Hotel officially opens the Canal House
By The Bahamas Weekly News Team
Sep 19, 2010 - 9:15:56 PM

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Photos by Yasmin Popescu for The Bahamas Weekly


Freeport, Bahamas - The Pelican Bay Hotel in Grand Bahama officially opened their new conference facility called the Canal House on September 17th with a brief ceremony and night of celebration on their property. The Rt Hon Hubert A. Ingraham was in attendance for the occasion along with local dignitaries, politicians, and business persons.

Guests arrived to live Junkanoo music. The Grand Bahama Youth Choir led by Kevin Tomlinson opened the ceremony with several Bahamian musical numbers, and after remarks by general manager Magnus Alnebeck and the Prime Minister, a ceremonial conch shell was smashed by Prime Minister Ingraham to officially open the building. Those in attendance were then welcomed into the 5 level facility to enjoy food, drink and music provided by The Matrix band and DJ President. The evening ended with a Junkanoo rush which carried everyone back outside where lit sky-laterns were launched into the night sky.

The following are remarks made by the general manager of Pelican Bay, Magnus Alnebeck at the opening ceremony:

The Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Cabinet Ministers, Senators, Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome,

I know you have all come here to party, but you are going to have to listen to a couple of speeches.

My name is Magnus Alnebeck, I am the GM Manager of Pelican Bay. It is wonderful to gather the Grand Bahama Community for the opening party of the Pelican Bay Canal House. A facility that has been under planning and construction for several years. Many of you have noticed that we did not have a ground breaking ceremony and we have been very quiet during the construction process. That was intentional.

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General manager of Pelican Bay Hotel, Magnus Alnebeck gives remarks at the opening of the Canal House on September 17th, 2010. Photo: Yasmin Popescu for The Bahamas Weekly

We feel that GBI over the years have become accustomed to announcements and groundbreaking ceremonies of projects that never happens, and I am proud to stand here today, in front of a buidling commenced, but actually has been completed........ My main job tonight is to thank all the people involved in this project, but before I do that, I would like to take the opportunity to explain a bit more about Pelican Bay, who we are, and what we are trying to do .

Under the current ownership and management, we have existed for 5 years. During that time, we have re-positioned the hotel, and the opening of the Canal House is the final step of that process. We are now fully positioned as the best suited hotel in GBI to welcome business travellers and small meetings. That is the main market for Pelican Bay. We cannot be a resort hotel, we have no beach, spa, tennis facilities and similar.

The job of getting that type of guests to GBI, we happily pass on to our neighbours and colleagues on the beach.

We want to be the British Colonial of Grand Bahama, A hotel convenient to stay in, and easy to conduct business from. A hotel that has great facilities for meeting, events & weddings.

Pelican Bay is owned by a Swedish-Norweigan Hotel property owning company. We are actually the biggest hotel property company in Europe. We now own 120 hotels, more than 24 000 rooms located in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland, and Canada the Bahamas.

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The Canal House Photo: Robbin Whachell for The Bahamas Weekly

Pelican Bay is the only business that Pandox owns in the Bahamas. We have no other investment in any other business in the Bahamas. The business model is the same wherever we go. We carefully evaluate each hotel that we own, and with active ownership decide what is the best operating system for that particular property.

We have hotels that are leased to management companies, hotels that we operate ourselves under franchise agreements, as well as independently operating hotel under their own brand, such as Hotel Berlin Berlin, Bloom in Brussels, and Pelican Bay.

We own hotels that operate under the following brands, Hilton, InterContinental, Hyatt, Radisson, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Clarion, Quality, Best Western, and several others.

We are a very lean organisation, we have a head office with 17 persons, running a company with 120 hotels.

We strongly believe that running a hotel is a local business, and therefore the responsibility of running Pelican Bay, is the responsibility of the PB management team. We do not believe that a hotel or any business can be micromanaged from another place in the world. That is regardless if you are across the Atlantic, the Pacific, or in the Atlantic. To be a successful business in GBI, the decisionmaking has to be here, with a solid knowledge and understanding of GB.

As some businesses have found out the hard way, it is even hard to sit in Nassau and manage something in GB. And maybe that is why it is rumoured that we will soon see a Ministry and Minister of GB......... The management team of Pelican Bay is made up of Patra Albury, Financial Controller Della Bridgewater, Front Office Manager and operationally responsible for the Canal House Giovanni Sands, Maintenance Manager Melissa Carroll, Revenue and reservations Manager Sybilene Cooper, Executive Housekeeper Marva Munroe Director of Sales and Marketing, Weddings Julie Paice, Purchasing Manager Allan Scavella, Outgoing Director of Security (We trained him so well, that he is now going to sort out Security at the Albany Project in Nassau). Yvettte Evans, who will be the new person in charge of Security at PB. Kara Manouzi, seconded to us by MOT, helping us with S&M, based in Florida.

I trust you have noticed that most names are familiar Grand Bahamian names, and that the only one at Pelican Bay who needs a Work Permit is me. (Since I am a St Lucian citizen I am obviously hoping for the Bahamas becoming a full member of Caricom, so that I can then brag that we do not need any work permits)

I would also like to introduce Gourmet Kitchen, the company that operates Sabor, and who will be providing the F&B for the Canal House, and tonight’s event, Chef Vorly, Isabel Alison, Chef Emanuel Smith, and Chef Liz.

I would now like to thank the group that has created this wonderful building .

Jim Goodrum, who was the project manager who kept the project together. Jim had a very close involvement with the previous company that owned Pelican Bay, and when we started planning this building , it was great that he was prepared to come back in an individual capacity, to help us. His achievement is self evident when you walk through the Canal House, but I would especially like to thank Jim for his integrity, honesty and willingness to always help and assist, (not only us) but anyone who wants to make Grand Bahama and Freeport a better place. We could do with a few more individuals like Jim in Grand Bahama.


Kristian Geerstsen, architect, I guess we all dream of leaving footprints of what we have achieved in life. Kristian came to Grand Bahama, many years ago, and has been involved in the design of LMV, now GBYC, Ritz Taino Beach, and Pelican Bay. These building incorporate elements of Bahamian architectural details that makes them very appealing and constantly talked about as pleasant architecture. It will hopefully be many years when persons will be coming through this part of Grand Bahama, admiring the architecture of these building. Kristian, thank you for your contribution not only to Pelican Bay, but to Grand Bahama in general, and enjoy your retirement, you have deserved it. Silvia Reif, our Interior designer. Thank you Silvia for the faboulous interiors, and all the fun details. As a small example, Nobody can walk by the straw bags on the fourth floor, without smiling, and be impressed with what you have created.

Freeport Construction, the main contractor, Bruce Silvera, Vic Skinner, Kerry Payote, Thank you for working with us. I know it wasn’t always easy. We needed to keep the hotel open and keep the inconveniences to a minimum. Thank you for giving us a solid, good looking building, with almost no leaks.....

Main Subcontractors, Junior Kemp, C&G, Charlie Mortimer, Quality Plumbing, Alfredo Buzzi, Mechanical Engineering, Thank you for all your work, and DONT FORGET ALL THE ITEMS THAT ARE STILL ON THE PUNCH LIST, I don’t care that you are busy with the new government building in town.

To all other subcontractors, and workers that has been involved in the project, as well as the GBPA technical department. Thank You. To Antonius Roberts and Natalie Willis, thank you for helping us with artwork that does not only compliment the building, but actually lifts it.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Grand Bahama Youth Choir for putting life into this ceremony, Father DeAngelo Bowe of St Nicholas Anglican Church for blessing the Canal House this week. Our Lucaya and GBYC / Ferry House who kindly let us use their parking this evening.

There is one person who always reminds me that I never thank her, which usually makes it for an uncomfortable drive home after an event like this. So for the record, for the first time, I would like to thank my wife Dunya, who has to deal with me at the end of what sometimes are frustrating work days.

I would obviously also like to thank all of you who are here tonight. To all of you that are loyal customers or represents companies that support us, I thank you. For anyone else, I hope to see you back as what we refer to, as a revenue generating guest...... (that means a paying guest) I thank you.

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The Rt Hon Hubert A. Ingraham gives remarks. Photo: Yasmin Popescu for The Bahamas Weekly

Related Articles:

Pelican Bay at Lucaya’s Canal House Now Open

(VIDEO) Pelican Bay Hotel announce new logo and preview their Canal House


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