Badal says Pegasus receiving crumbs from oil sector; New Corporate Center delayed until May 2021

Robert Badal, the owner of the Pegasus Hotel, is hoping that he will be better able to tap into the revenues from the petroleum industry with the completion of the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre at Kingston, Georgetown.

In an exclusive interview with the News Room, Badal said the hotel is currently receiving the “crumbs on the table” when it comes to oil and gas business.

“We have been asking for local content and that local businesses receive a fair share and we [Pegasus hotel] have some oil and gas business but its small,” he said.

Badal explained that the completion of the corporate center has been pushed back from December 2020 and is now slated to be completed by May 2021.

He said the delay is due to the COVID-19 Pandemic which hampered access to skilled labour and affected the procurement of materials.

He is confident that once completed the entity be able to hold its own.

“We have very strong repeat customers, we have the support from all of the embassies. Caribbean travelers love to stay at the Pegasus. We have persons from American and Canadian mining companies; and the Europeans prefer to stay at Pegasus because of the homeliness. Those are the profile of our customers,” he explained.

Badal believes that Pegasus will be able to do good business because of the strong brand presence it has developed over the years.

The businessman says he expects full occupancy of the hotel by next year when the corporate center is complete.

The hotel is currently operating at 30% capacity, up from the 10% capacity experienced earlier this year.

The construction of the estimated US$100M project started in October 2018 and it comprises a 12-storey tower providing long-term accommodation and a seven-storey office complex providing first world corporate offices.