Guest workers from the multimillion-dollar Fairmont Southampton redevelopment project have been living at the Royal Bermuda Regiment headquarters.

There were 60 beds in use there by the workers from May 13 to June 8, when the number doubled to 120. They were due to move out this week.

Meanwhile, the total number of new work permits issued for the hotel redevelopment now exceeds 450, with workers coming from 21 foreign countries and representing 58 per cent of the on-site workforce, according to the Chief Immigration Officer.

A regiment spokeswoman told The Royal Gazette that the Fairmont Southampton workers who stayed at Warwick Camp were due to depart on Wednesday and yesterday.

She said in a statement: “The Royal Bermuda Regiment confirms that, when not required for military use, the barracks at Warwick Camp are routinely made available for lease to visiting sporting groups and cultural organisations travelling to the island.

“The contractor for the Fairmont Southampton approached the regiment seeking temporary accommodation for staff transitioning out of on-site housing at the hotel.

“The regiment agreed to a short-term lease arrangement.”

She said the contractor leased 60 “bed spaces” from May 13 to June 8 and 120 from June 8 to June 24.

The spokeswoman added: “This agreement is consistent with the regiment’s standard arrangements for visiting groups and follows the same terms and procedures normally applied.”

A spokesman for Westend Properties, the resort’s owner, said: “Workers are staying at Fairmont’s off-site housing, Warwick Camp and the hotel guest rooms.

“Some workers previously housed inside the hotel guest rooms transitioned to accommodations at Warwick Camp so that renovations could be carried out inside those guest rooms.”

He added that the agreement to house workers at Warwick Camp was put in place several months ago.

“The workers at Warwick Camp have started to transition to accommodation in the Fairmont hotel dorms.

“They will fully vacate Warwick Camp by the end of this week.”

The 593-room Fairmont Southampton, the island’s biggest resort, closed in 2020. Redevelopment began in 2024, with hundreds of local and foreign workers employed there.

The Department of Immigration gave the Gazette an updated public access to information disclosure this week, showing that 457 new work permits have been issued to date, for workers from 21 countries.

The largest number, 188, have come from Cuba, with 130 from Mexico, 50 from the United States, 18 from Honduras, ten from Colombia and ten from the Philippines.

There have been less than ten workers from the other 15 countries, including from three Caricom nations: Jamaica (8), Barbados (3) and Trinidad (1).

The Westend Properties spokesman said: “Contractors have used charter flights from Cuba, Mexico and Honduras. All other workers arrived via commercial flights.”

Chief Immigration Officer Danette Ming said in an e-mail that the Department of Immigration did not capture nationalities in its systems so the breakdown per country was given by the Fairmont Southampton.

The total figure of 457 new work permits ― which includes standard, short-term and “representative” permits ― was an increase on the 419 reported last week.

Dr Ming said: “Since April 30, 2026, new applications for work permits have been processed. This will likely be the case until the project is completed.”

Cabinet Office minister Diallo Rabain said in November that 242 Bermudians, spouses of Bermudians and permanent residents had worked on the redevelopment, along with 324 new standard work-permit holders and 59 existing work-permit holders already employed with contractors assigned to the project.

The Gazette asked the Cabinet Office for new figures this week, plus a breakdown of numbers for Bermudians, spouses and PR holders, but there was no response by press time.

Dr Ming said 58 per cent of the total workforce at the Fairmont Southampton was made up of those on work permits, be they standard, short-term or representative permit holders.

Representative permits are similar to periodic ones ― which are for those making multiple visits to the island over an extended period, staying no more than 30 days each time ― but without a name attached.

More than 30 companies contracted to work on the redevelopment have applied for work permits for the project, but the immigration department has not tracked how many per firm, according to Dr Ming.

The Westend spokesman said the hiring of as many Bermudians as possible was a priority and several local job fairs had been held.

“However, the availability of workers in Bermuda is not enough to meet the requirements of such a large job site, so contractors sought work permits for staff to meet the project schedule and also to obtain specific skills,” he added.

The spokesman said all of the guest workers on site were “hired directly by the project contractors, vetted by the Department of Immigration and issued work permits” and that all were “being remunerated in accordance with Bermuda law”.

He added: “The number of workers on the site varies as projects are started and completed.”