A total of five firms tendered for the redevelopment of the Club Med site in St George’s, MPs have heard.

But Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell declined to name the losing finalist in a contest which saw the field whittled down to two before the Venezuelan Desarrollos Hotelco Group won.

“As we have entered into a 120-day exclusivity period with a chosen developer, it would be inappropriate to disclose the name of the other shortlisted developer during this period,” he said.

And he explained that if there were problems with the Desarrallos deal the second developer could be called on to take over.

Mr Crockwell said: “To disclose the name of the finalist at this stage may unduly prejudice the Government’s position.”

He was speaking after St David’s PLP MP Lovitta Foggo asked a series of questions relating to the deal, announced last month.

Ms Foggo also asked why Desarrollos had been given a four-month exclusivity period for negotiations and when that time slot would expire.

Mr Crockwell said: “The Desarrollos Hotelco Group is a reputable company with a proven track record of success with hotel developments in the Caribbean. They have strong relationships with high end hotel brands and their proposal was well-aligned with the objectives that were set out in the request for proposals (RFP) augmented by a very good oral presentation.

“The 120-day period was a specific requirement set out by us in the RFP and is a reasonable period of time to allow the chosen developer and the Government to reach a conclusion in the process.”

The other companies that submitted unsuccessful bids were the Ellipse Consortium, Dolphin Capital Partners, Jambo/Chef and Sutton Park Partners.

Shadow Finance Minister David Burt questioned why Desarallos did not appear to have an online presence — although an internet search does throw up references to a number of deals the firm has been involved in, including the development of a five star resort in Aruba.

Mr Crockwell said the lack of online information “in this day and age is unusual” but that it was not a cause for concern.