Resort now faces a rush to upgrade before the royal visit
The luxury beachside resort where the King and Queen will stay in Samoa is in a rush to upgrade after reviews condemned its musty linens and outdated tiles.
The hotel, which The Telegraph is not naming for security reasons, has secured £85,000 (WST$300,000) in government funding to upgrade the tired premises ahead of the royal visit in October.
A significant portion of the funds will go towards upgrading the presidential suite, where Their Majesties are expected to stay.
Additional funds will be allocated for installing baths, water features, and improving the driveway and entrance roundabout.
Buckingham Palace confirmed last week that the King would be travelling to Australia and Samoa in October.
The tour, which was originally set to take in New Zealand and Fiji, was curtailed on doctors’ advice following the King’s cancer diagnosis and will now last around 10 days in total.
The couple is expected to travel to Australia first, with visits to the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, before attending the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, which begins on Oct 21 in Samoa.
The four-star hotel earmarked for the stay on the Polynesian island is situated within a lagoon just a stone’s throw from white sandy beaches.
Villagers to stand guard
The manager has revealed that local villagers have been asked to help guard the outside of the resort during the King’s visit.
The hotel’s “farm and ocean to plate” ethos that prioritises fresh, local produce will no doubt please the King, while its commitment to the environment, from sustainable waste systems to village tree planting days, also chimes with the monarch’s own green credentials.
However, the reviews are mixed, with some recent visitors warning that while the staff are lovely, the facilities are less than clean, everything is run down and falling apart.
Others warned that the rooms were tired, the bathroom fixtures and fittings were dated, the bed linen musty and the air conditioning noisy.
The food was described by one guest as bland and tasteless.
But while the local government has agreed to fund the required refurbishments, the money has not yet been forthcoming, prompting fears that the improvement works will go right down to the wire.
The money is expected to be taken from the WST$20 million (£5.5 million) allocated in the national budget for the Commonwealth meeting.
Good and bad reviews
Other guests have been gushing in their praise for the hotel, singling out its location, friendly staff and beautiful beach.
The manager acknowledged that there were always good and bad reviews, and that visitors had different expectations.
“We have to acknowledge the circumstances as it is and work for ways to make it better,” he said. “The accommodations and other plans will be of the highest calibre.”
The hotel will be closed for a week ahead of the King and Queen’s visit to allow staff to prepare and to carry out the necessary security inspections.
Staff are hoping to welcome their VIP guests with a traditional “‘ava” ceremony to show off Samoan culture and are waiting to hear back from the British High Commission about whether it will be permitted.
The ceremony is one of the island’s most important rituals and involves the sharing of a ceremonial “ava” drink, made with the dried roots of the native kava plant mixed with water and drunk from a coconut shell cup.
The heads of government meeting brings together delegations from 56 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.
Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen’s programme will be subject to doctors’ advice, with any necessary modifications to be made on health grounds.
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Source: CNN
