Brac Divi Tiara demolition planned

[scubadada]

So...I wonder what is going to happen to the Divi Tiara site? Who is paying for the demolition? Who owns the land, is it still Divi? I had always thought that the downturn was because the Caymans or Brac would not grant them a casino license. They have a casino on Bonaire, Aruba, and St. Croix. I give the Caymans credit for not allowing them to carry out this activity. Somehow, I don't think this is just going to be a pretty beach, that would do little to nothing to contribute to Brac. If Cayman Brac is going to recover and become more vigorous, Divi Tiara and the Alexander Hotel problems will need to be solved in some kind of reasonable way. I have never accepted the excuse that access to Brac was too limited. It is easier and faster than accessing Little Cayman. I really liked my visit to Cayman Brac and look forward to taking advantage of the shore diving.

 

[KathyV]

So...I wonder what is going to happen to the Divi Tiara site? Who is paying for the demolition? Who owns the land, is it still Divi? I had always thought that the downturn was because the Caymans or Brac would not grant them a casino license. They have a casino on Bonaire, Aruba, and St. Croix. I give the Caymans credit for not allowing them to carry out this activity. Somehow, I don't think this is just going to be a pretty beach, that would do little to nothing to contribute to Brac. If Cayman Brac is going to recover and become more vigorous, Divi Tiara and the Alexander Hotel problems will need to be solved in some kind of reasonable way. I have never accepted the excuse that access to Brac was too limited. It is easier and faster than accessing Little Cayman. I really liked my visit to Cayman Brac and look forward to taking advantage of the shore diving.

The Divi Tiara may have been struggling financially and the competition from the (current name) Cayman Brac Beach Resort next door probably added to their problems; but a Brac Divemaster that used to work at Divi Tiara - who was working there at the time it shut down - told us that the failure to obtain a gambling license was a key factor in the final decision to shut down. Divi was building a new resort and casino in Aruba when they shut down Tiara.

The Divemaster said that the shut down was quick and unexpected. The Dive Op had just invested in a Nitrox fill station and tanks, a new large Newton boat, and other upgrades and so they were hurt badly by the shutdown. Individuals with reservations had to find new accommodations quickly and the CBBR, LCBR, and several properties on GC and in the sister islands worked together to find space for them.

The hotel refrigerators were full of food and the freezer was loaded with meat when the power was shut down. The Chef started handing out roasts and other foodstuffs to anyone that would take it rather than let it all spoil.

The Divemaster said that they held an auction after the closure but I don't know who ran the auction. You paid a set price and randomly picked a room key out of a big bowl and everything in that room was yours to take - furniture, fixtures, anything you could haul away. Every vehicle on the island was lined up to help move stuff and every boat in the area came in to the dock multiple times to haul off loads of items.

If you watch that video tour of the resort you will see that the records with names and personal credit card information were left in the reservations office. Whatever the reason for the shut down - it happened very suddenly.

 

[scubadada]

So, if the Divi model was to have a casino to steal money from the visitors, good riddance. My best wishes to Cayman Brac for a successful and sustainable future

 

[KathyV]

So, if the Divi model was to have a casino to steal money from the visitors, good riddance. My best wishes to Cayman Brac for a successful and sustainable future

Not just visitors. We are not big gamblers but when we have visited Bonaire and Curacao we have gone to the Divi casinos for an evening's entertainment. We only go 1 time per trip and we bring a pre-determined amount of cash with us - and when it's gone we leave. We have won a few times but mostly we lose, but never a lot.

But on both islands, especially Bonaire, there were quite a few locals in the casino as well as visitors.

Cayman is a conservative country and I admire the way they have resisted pressures to allow gambling in their territories. I don't know if this is just typical cruise ship practice in all harbors or not, but I once read that all the cruise ships have to shut down their gambling venues while they are in harbor in Cayman.

 

[Doctorfish]

Vintage!

 

[caydiver]

Gambling is illegal in The Cayman Islands including Cayman waters. This is pretty easy to ascertain. Any group who thought they could get a license from a government to allow them to do something illegal had to be pretty stupid to start with. It is unlikely that the venture would have ever been a success with such a level of stupidity at the Management level. Makes you wonder where they went for legal advice etc. Were they duped, stealing money from investors? Something just seems very wrong about the whole concept. Almost as dumb as buying the Brooklyn Bridge unless someone was on the take from an investment standpoint.

 

[Doctorfish]

As I recall, Divi was in the business of aggressively selling time shares. They tried to convince prospective buyers that when gambling was approved, the individual unit values would increase significantly. Hard to believe that any serious hotel operation in the Cayman Islands would ever think that they could get through gambling legislation in a god fearing church going country. As I say, I think they were just conning prospective time share buyers.

I sat through their sales pitch the first time I stayed there in exchange for some free dives. Luckily, my wallet stayed in my pocket.

 

[scubadada]

As I recall, Divi was in the business of aggressively selling time shares. They tried to convince prospective buyers that when gambling was approved, the individual unit values would increase significantly. Hard to believe that any serious hotel operation in the Cayman Islands would ever think that they could get through gambling legislation in a god fearing church going country. As I say, I think they were just conning prospective time share buyers.

I sat through their sales pitch the first time I stayed there in exchange for some free dives. Luckily, my wallet stayed in my pocket.

See the last two photos, those were the timeshares. I was told they held on a little longer than the resort, then folded Divi Tiara, perfect for Halloween

 

[large_diver]

Was at CBBR last week....demolition has begun.

 

[KathyV]

Was at CBBR last week....demolition has begun.

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Thanks for the pictures of demolition at Divi Tiara. How was your trip?