The launch of new hotel brand, Harlequin Hotels & Resorts, was held on the 13th and 14th July 2009. The event was staged in the elegant setting of The Grove near Watford. Harlequin Hotels & Resorts announced that their first resort, Buccament Bay Beach Resort in St Vincent & The Grenadines, will open on 1st July 2010 and the event also marked the official launch of The Marquis Estate in St Lucia where the Gary Player Signature Golf Course and world’s first Gary Player Hotel will be situated.

Attendees included key representatives from the travel and hospitality industries, members of the press, dignitaries from the Caribbean, Harlequin’s suppliers, key sales agents and investors.

Addresses were made by the chairman of Harlequin Hotels & Resorts, Dave Ames, Rt Hon Stephenson King, Prime Minister of St Lucia, Glen Beache, Minister of Tourism for St Vincent & The Grenadines and Mrs Eloise Gonsalves, wife of the Prime Minister of St Vincent & The Grenadines, Juan and Jose Paliza, Hon Consul to the Dominican Republic and representatives from the major brands associated with Harlequin - Gary Player, Pat Cash, Liverpool FC, Trader Vic’s and Oasis Hotels & Resorts.

During the event a charter was signed with the International Trade Center, the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, in which Harlequin Hotels & Resorts agreed to actively encourage the production of local produce for use in their resorts in the Caribbean.

Guests enjoyed an array of food and canapés prepared by Trader Vic’s team working with the staff from the Grove and were served tropical rum cocktails including the famous Mai Tai Rum Cocktail. There was an opportunity for everyone to mingle and meet with Harlequin Property’s account team.

The first day saw Gary Player hosting a Golf Tournament for 72 guest golfers, with the evening ending on a high note with a performance of songs from the West End musical, Les Miserables by members of the original cast.

Scale models and computer generated images of Harlequin’s resorts were displayed alongside exhibits of the concepts and designs of the restaurants and bars that will be at each of the resorts.

The two days were a tremendous success with over 3,000 people attending.

Click here to read quotes from the launch event.

Click here to view photographs from the launch event.