Opposition Senate Leader Maxwell Burgess has backed a multi-million redevelopment plan for the old Marriott Castle Harbour Hotel.

But he added that the United Bermuda Party still wanted Government to release more details on the package used to attract investment from Regency Hotels International.

Sen. Burgess -- who handles tourism in the Upper House -- said: "The Opposition support the proposal of embracing this five-star hotel chain which Government is in talks with down at the old Marriott.

"And I don't want the fact that the Opposition has questioned the transparency of Government to detract from the fact we support this.'' Shadow Finance Minister Grant Gibbons said earlier this week that hotel construction was dependent on the sale of homes and timeshares -- and that the development could lead to a "glut'' of high-priced housing, especially with luxury developments in the works at other sites on the Island.

And he called on Government -- because of the amount of taxpayers' money put up -- to release full information on the deal.

And Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon also expressed fears that the new, smaller hotel development would not provide as many jobs as the 370 lost when Marriott closed its doors last year -- a claim denied by Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess.

Sen. Burgess said: "I want the people to understand that we embrace this proposal but, having said that, we don't know the machinery of the deal and that speaks to Government's promise of being transparent.'' The Senator spoke out only days after Government announced a $30 million guarantee -- in addition to breaks on land tax, payroll tax, duty-free drinks and employment of Bermudian entertainers -- to help developers trying to raise the $200 million needed for the proposed 200-room development.

Plans for the new Regent Castle Harbour include timeshare properties, a spa, shops, conference centre, golf course and luxury homes.

The $30 million -- the credit security account -- will be funded by land licence fees from the sale of the houses at Ship's Hill and Castle Harbour.

Site owners Bermuda Properties Ltd. have already signed letters of intent with Regent International.

Sen. Burgess said: "I have already said the art of a deal is to get it closed -- and certainly we recognise that it can't be business as usual going forward.'' And he added he had said to redevelop the former Club Med in St. George's "might take us injecting some cash ourselves''.

And he said: "It bodes well for Bermuda to embrace the level of partner that Regent is -- we stand ready and willing to assist whenever we can to make it work for Bermuda.

"I'm satisfied that the partners we have set out to embrace in this arrangement are the kind of partners we can embrace going forward.'' He added that the UBP had pushed through a bill to allow for housing development on the hotel grounds to make it more attractive to investors.

Sen. Burgess said: "It was the UBP who passed legislation -- against the wishes of the Opposition -- so that we got that property in a state of readiness for any reasonable investment.

"We did that in the knowledge that tourism in Bermuda in the 21st century would require inventiveness and that nobody would invest without the prospect of reasonable return or, indeed, a profit, on it.'' Sen. Burgess added that he was "satisfied'' that existing Immigration policies would protect Bermudian job prospects.

And he said: "This is not a time for tit-for-tat -- it's a time for us as Bermudians to rally around the greater interest which has to be that we begin to get our properties into a position where they are incentive-attractive.'' Maxwell Burgess UBP TOURISM TOU