A total of $7.5 million dollars has been spent on transforming the former Nadi Bay Resort into the new Grand Melanesian Resort Wailoaloa. Owned by Grand Melanesian Hotel, the property now offers 56 keys as diverse as a shared dorm, through to Deluxe Family, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom apartments and self-contained rooms. Director Nitin Hira Lal said the Grand Melanesian Hotel acquired the Nadi Bay Resort property for $2.5 million in February 2023. “We expanded into this particular property as it was on mortgage sale, we saw the potential of the property; although we knew there’s a lot of work and a lot of costs involved,” he said. “We thought we could do it and it would work, especially with the way the tourism is now right in Fiji. We decided to support it as much as we can.” He said during the two years of renovation; the company has spent $5 million and additional $1 million would be spent later this year. “The whole thing was gutted and redone only the structure remained. Rooms have been fully refurbished,” Mr Lal said. He said once it is fully operational, it would be looking at employing 25 staff full-time. Guest can look out for: Two swimming pools, Two conference rooms Varieties of rooms Three bars Tourism Fiji chief executive officer Brent Hill said it is great to see this property now up and running again and looking great. “Congratulations to the newly renovated and renamed Grand Melanesian Resort Wailoaloa. It provides a fantastic array of accommodation and great rates,” he said. Former Nadi Town Council Special Administrator Chair Lawrence Kumar said it is great to see that plans are underway to construct more keys in Fiji, signalling an increase in investor interest. “While the demand for hospitality services is evident, challenges lie in translating the interest into reality, but GMR is walking the talk to support the industry.” Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj