Premier Ewart Brown says he believes construction work on three or four highly-touted hotels will be taking place in 2009.

The Premier and Tourism Minister gave updates on Park Hyatt (replacing Club Med), Ritz Carlton (City of Hamilton), Wyndham Resort (Southampton) and Jumeirah (Southlands in Warwick or Morgan's Point in Southampton) while speaking at a public meeting at Francis Patton Primary School on Wednesday night.

Dr. Brown told the audience he had expected the recent drop in visitors' arrivals, but was now preparing for an upturn.

"On the issue of tourism, I can tell you so far we have not got any news about developers saying they are not going to develop Park Hyatt, Ritz Carlton, Wyndham or Jumeirah," he said.

"I believe in 2009 you will see construction on at least three, if not four, replacement hotels."

On next month's implosion of Club Med, which he revealed will be filmed by the Discovery Channel, he said: "In St. George's, we are very excited. I want it to be a party. I think I have just about tired of seeing that pink building up there on the hill, doing nothing for 20-something years.

"The main thing is that families, the people of St. George's, can look forward to a five star resort which I think is going to ignite a new fire in St. George's, wake up the town, because the town has been in a deep sleep for some time."

Also at the meeting, the Premier hit back at a new nickname which Progressive Labour Party stalwart LaVerne Furbert said he had been given in some circles: "The Ten Percent Man."

"You were called The Ten Percent Man, meaning that every contract that's given to Government, you get ten percent of that contract," said Ms Furbert. "People out there are saying that."

Dr. Brown replied: "I will get on my private jet. That's ridiculous."

He then said he had practised medicine for years and is married to a successful woman, so he had no need to steal anybody's money.

He added: "I have never taken a dime. I have never accepted a dime for anything that's been done by this Government."

Yesterday, one PLP insider rang The Royal Gazette to voice disgust about the Premier's use of the race card to defend himself at the meeting.

Dr. Brown had said people were going after him because they were mistaking his confidence for arrogance as he is black.

"It is almost delusional — simply to claim it is because he is a black, confident male when there is so much more to it than that," said the insider.

"There are a lot of black people who are critics. Don't insult people's intelligence — people are expressing their feelings."