The Pelican Resort Club Recently Shut Down
Thursday, April 7th, 2011The Pelican Resort Club recently shut down. Located on St. Maarten, the resort is no longer accepting reservations. According to news reports, the resort has been taken over and renamed Simpsons Bay Resort. Over the last few months, owners have been receiving conflicting emails and mixed messages regarding the status of ownership of the company, foreclosure auctions and employees at the property. Most emails and messages seemed to discuss administrative and management issues, which were unlikely to impact owners. They were not informed of the urgency and the possibility that the resort would close, placing timeshare ownership in jeopardy.
As of now, it is still unclear why the closure was necessary or how long it will last. Some reports indicate that it appears that the closure is merely a scheme to force the unions to negotiate or force union employees out. Reportedly, last December, there was an attempt to fire all union employees, which the courts squashed. When all issues have been resolved, normalcy for Pelican/Simpson owners is expected to return. In the short term, owners planning to use their units over the next few weeks or months may be cut from their reservations. Some reports indicate that owners have not been given the assurance of being able to go to the resort, even while being encouraged to make their mortgage and maintenance fee payments.
