There is no timeline in place for three highly touted five star hotel developments.

Plans for the proposed St. Regis hotel on the former Club Med site, Jumeirah Southlands Resort and Grand Atlantic Resort in Warwick are not as finalised as previously thought, it was revealed during the question period of a tourism news conference held on Thursday.

While negotiations with investment firm Bazarian International are ongoing, Premier Ewart Brown said no formal land lease had been signed — although he has previously publicly announced an agreement had already been signed regarding the land.

With regards to the Jumeirah group, no decision has been made about whether the hotel will be built on the Southlands site in Warwick or the Morgan's Point site in Southampton, he said.

And the developers behind the 220-suite Grand Atlantic Resort and Residences in Warwick are still sorting out their financing.

In December, the Premier told a Progressive Labour Party meeting in Southampton constituency 12: "Within the next week and a half, I expect he (Carl Bazarian of investment firm Bazarian International) will be here to announce that that property is going to be the site of a new St. Regis hotel.

"If you think it's just talk, just watch and you will see. The agreement has already been signed with respect to the land. They are ironing out a few small details with respect to the brand itself."

It followed his pledge at a PLP meeting in St. David's in May 2007: "Let me tell you I made a commitment: in 2007, construction will begin on the new hotel in St. George's. I can promise you it will be delivered."

But on Thursday he said: "We are in discussions, some things have been signed but not the final thing, the land lease."

Asbestos removal and demolition at the Club Med site began in January.

Regarding his broken promises, the Premier told the House of Assembly last night: "I made a public announcement that work would begin at Club Med in 2007 and it turns out that the only work that began is demolition and I was off schedule. I acknowledge."

He said the asbestos problem had been greater than anticipated, adding: "I was behind on that day and I will make up for it in the future."

The Premier had declined to comment on numerous occasions late last year when it became apparent the promise was unlikely to be kept.

While developers told The Royal Gazette last week that they expected to announce a deal for the transfer of the Jumeirah Southlands resort to Morgan's Point within the month, on Thursday Dr. Brown said negotiations were only "two-thirds" of the way through negotiations.

Originally the five star Jumeirah hotel was going to be built in Warwick, but there was much public outcry about this decision.

Former Premier Alex Scott met with developers and proposed a swap, and pointed to the brownfield Morgan's Point site as a better location for the luxury site.

Yesterday, Dr. Brown said the Government was being cautious with negotiations as Morgan's Point was public land.

There is also no start date for the Grand Atlantic Resort and Residences.

Dr. Brown said: "They are in the process of consolidating their financial package."

In May 2007, Government announced a Special Development Order had been granted to the developers to build the luxury hotel on the plot of land which currently holds derelict buildings, green space and an area zoned woodlands.

Dr. Brown spoke at a news conference announcing that 2007 had been a record breaking year in terms of tourism arrivals.

Speaking of hotel developments he said: "Currently we have approximately 15 major, multi-million dollar projects underway, which account for nearly $2.2 billion worth of welcomed investment into our economy.

"This will assist in supporting the long-term sustainability of the tourism industry and bring added value to the visitor experience. Progress by developing infrastructure does not happen overnight — over the next few years we will not only see the development of new hotels but also see upgrades and expansions on existing properties."