Business View Caribbean - July 2016 49
According to Léon Raaijmaakers, Fort Royal’s General
Manager, what was to become the Langley Resort Fort
Royal after 24 months of redevelopment work costing
€25 million, was, at the time of purchase, a derelict
property, originally built in 1964 and owned and oper-
ated by a variety of different companies and private
firms until it simply wore out its welcome. “The proper-
ty existed,” says Raaijmaakers, “but it was completely
abandoned. It had been abandoned for many years.”
Guadeloupe is an archipelago of five beautiful and
closely strung-together islands in the French West In-
dies: Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre are Guadeloupe’s
main islands, separated by a narrow strait called Salt
River. The three smaller islands, called “Dependen-
cies,” are Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the Îles des
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
Langley Resort Fort Royal
WHAT:
A three-star hotel
WHERE:
Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe
Email
:
