More details have been revealed about the new changes under way for a number of the restaurants at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel.

The hotel has invested more than $1 million into the refurbishment of several of its dining destinations.

It was originally planned to have the project completed prior to start of the America’s Cup in May, however Wouter Aarts, director of food and beverage, said the available time would have meant cutting it close to the sailing event, and the hotel did not want to risk starting before it had all the materials for the construction portion of the project.

“Because we did not want to risk having things too late we didn’t want to start it, so we waited until the America’s Cup was over,” he said.

Work has started on the refurbishment of Jasmine Cocktail Bar & Lounge. It closed last week and is planning to reopen on Friday.

Fairmont Southampton said it is moving in a different direction and it plans to have everything completed quickly.

Mr Aarts said: “We relocated the Jasmine Lounge to the Poinciana Foyer on August 26.”

The restyled Jasmine Lounge will offer some of the same foods, but with a twist to the menu.

Mr Aarts explained that lounge will offer a broader cuisine with additional varieties of spices from around the world.

Besides the cuisine, Jasmine Lounge will have a different look than before.

“The hotel lobby, where the Jasmine Lounge is located, is the face of the hotel. It is the entrance guests see on arrival,” said Mr Aarts.

He believes the revamp of the location will display a fresh new feel, which will enhance the dining experience.

Previously the lounge and dining area were mixed together, but the changes will allow a separation between them.

The entrance to the lounge will be where people can either have a drink, socialise, or order appetisers. Towards the rear will be the dining area, where there will also be live music.

The second phase of the project will see the introduction of a new Mediterranean restaurant called the Mediterra.

On October 4, the Mediterra will be replace the Gastropub offering in the Newport room.

In an effort to ensure an authentic experience, a team of four Fairmont Southampton employees embarked on a two-week culinary immersion through the Mediterranean region of Europe earlier this year.

Two young Bermudians, second cook Nicole Clarke and server Ravone Butterfield, joined the resort’s executive chef and assistant director of food and beverage, to source innovative dishes in Spain, Italy and Monaco.

Among dishes that will be served are shared plates of fresh seafood, and paella.

Mr Aarts told The Royal Gazette that the hotel wanted a Mediterranean restaurant because he believes there are few on the island and it will be something different to attract more customers.

“The Mediterra will have authentic flavours and this will be a unique restaurant in Bermuda.” he added.

The final phase of the project will be the opening of Boundary Sports Bar and Grille, an upscale American sports bar.

The bar will offer live TV broadcasting of major international sports events, and it is expected to become the new place to be in Bermuda’s West End.

The sports bar and restaurant will replace Bacci, the hotel’s Italian-style restaurant, which is due to close on October 1. The new bar and grille is set to open in early November.

“This was a high demand for guest and locals,” said Mr Aarts.

Fairmont Southampton will be working with design firm Wimberly Interiors to bring the new concepts to life.

Wimberly Interiors is part of WATG, one of the world’s leading integrated design firms and ranked as second in the world among hotel architectural firms.

The Fairmont Southampton states it is working hard to ensure hotel guests and locals enjoy their experience with the new changes.