After almost 20 years and four successive government administrations, the Four Seasons Hotel is still a concrete skeleton of failure standing in Barbados’ tourism landscape. The partially built project continues to raise questions about whether there are even more issues and miscues buried in the project’s layered history. The project was initially priced at US$160 million but there have been significant cost overruns due to delays, legal fees and theft. Those questions were part of what led to the launching of an investigation by the CIJN into real estate projects in the Caribbean region which have raised speculation in the public domain with regards to transparency. The company running The Four Seasons Hotel (Barbados) was incorporated in 1988 with its longest running member of the board being Trevor A. Carmichael. Carmichael is one of Barbados’ most esteemed lawyers having received the Order of Barbados in the Grade of Silver Crown of Merit for his contribution to law, financial services and the preservation of the national heritage.
