The chief of the former Stonington Beach Hotel is promising a ?new hotel? when the property re-opens in May after a multi-million dollar refurbishment.

The newly-named Coco Reef Resort has added an atrium, fountains, new furniture in all 68 rooms, and the property will have Italian marble and Mexican tiles.

A new 118-seat beachside bar and restaurant is scheduled to open in July and next year ? if planning permission is granted ? a further 31 tourist villas will be built on the Paget property.

John Jefferis, who last year won a contract to run the Government-owned hotel for 50 years, said around $10 million will be spent on the refurbishments and he hopes to re-open in the first week of May.

The dining room is also being rebuilt, as are the terraces around the pool, and the entire property is being painted inside and out.

Antique furniture will be placed in the lobby, which now boasts a covered skylight atrium, and there will be works of Caribbean art throughout.

?The whole place will be like a new hotel,? Mr. Jefferis.

?It will be a completely different style of hotel, a very design-driven property. There is a lot of Caribbean art being used and antique furniture in the lobby.

?With the skylight atrium there will be a whole different feel when you walk through the door, a much more elegant look. The whole lobby will now be 6,000 square feet and is going to be marble.

?We want to have really cutting edge design and, most importantly, perfect service ?that?s what sets hotels apart these days,? said Mr. Jefferis, the former general manager of Elbow Beach Hotel, who also owns the award-winning Coco Reef Resort in Tobago.

He said 2004 was looking to be a ?great season? and it was being helped with better and lower air fares.

?The air links have improved dramatically. The fact we have introduced some lower priced tickets is a big help because pricing for Bermuda was getting ridiculous,? he said.

?A high price ticket combined with a short break puts the daily price to a high level. People want a high cost-value ratio, no matter how wealthy they are.?