Well folks, more sad but positive news to share with you all today. Today it’s the Westin’s turn for some demolition work.
We awoke this morning to the sounds of a backhoe tearing something down here at Casa de News of St. John. Upon further inspection (or actually a quick peek out the bedroom window), we noticed that workers over at the Westin have begun demolishing the building that housed the reception area and Knox and Ollie’s. The building sustained tremendous damage during Hurricane Irma and there is a strong possibility that a tornado ripped straight through it.
Some workers on site have stated that the Westin plans to move the resort’s main reception area to the waterfront. The goal, apparently, is to have all guests arrive by water via their new ferry.
We actually moved our webcam a bit today, so you can watch the demolition for yourselves. It’s the large building in the center of your screen. It’s blocked a bit by the trees, but still visible to the left of the power pole. You can check it out at www.newsofstjohn.coim/webcam. Here’s a screenshot we took this morning:
Work has been happing seven days a week over at the Westin. The majority of the resort is on schedule to reopen the first week of January 2019. Buildings 33, 34, 41 and 42 will be delayed a bit, according to a Vistana representative.
And for those of you who missed it last month, here is a link to a story we wrote on the Westin’s progress. The story includes several images and video.
Have a great Tuesday everyone!
Oh, I hope it’s not true that reception is moving down by the dock. How very inconvenient for those not wanting to use the very expensive Westin ferry, The hillside villas will be extremely far from the reception area as well. Yuck!
In my owners update, they mentioned there would also be a check-in area in the spa/fitness center area. And that the marketplace was going to move back to that area, too.
Thanks for that update Sue!
A centrally located lobby would be much more efficient, as this area is not just used for check in & check out. The waterfront is quite a distance from the timeshares across the street. We will see how it all plays out.
Wow the very expensive Westin ferry? I don’t get that.