For the first time since 1959 the Elbow Beach Hotel will officially shut down operations on Monday for two months to enhance the infrastructure of the South Shore property.Hotel Communications Director Sophie Dier confirmed the hotel started winding down operations and stopped taking reservations.A skeleton staff will be kept on during the closure but most of the 135 employees will be laid off for two months.Said Ms Dier: “A property-wide electrical shutdown has been scheduled for the middle of February to complete an electrical project that has been pending since 2003.“To avoid any impact to our guest experience, we will not take guest reservations until early March.‘Every detail regarding planning of the infrastructure work has been reviewed and there has been no concern regarding reservations in March.“The initial work will include extensive plumbing and electrical enhancements to the property, and further details regarding the refurbishments will be forthcoming,” she said.Ms Dier noted that the decision was made to close the hotel during the slow season when a large number of employees are usually on leave for extended periods.Newly appointed Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell said: “The Government empathises with the staff who are temporarily unemployed, and we hope that the notice that they were given allowed them to arrange their affairs so they experience the least discomfort and concern as possible.“Additionally, we are appreciative of the fact that the owners are undertaking an investment that can only enhance Bermuda’s position in the global industry; equally it must be noted that although the owners’ staff are temporarily out of work, the renovation will contribute to the construction and retail hardware industry.”When contacted by The Royal Gazette, Bermuda Industrial Union President Chris Furbert was pleased with the early notice given by the hotel’s management team.“We’ve known since September that the hotel would close in January and meetings were held with management last year.“We’re pleased that they communicated with us early to let us know and as a result the staff were given ample notice.”Mr Furbert also noted that from December to March is normally slow. “That’s usually the period for spring cleaning and while we sympathise with the workers the project is something that needs to be done.”As of Monday a skeleton crew will be on board to have a physical presence on the property but there are currently no guests at the hotel.Elbow Beach will celebrate its 105th anniversary in May as the second oldest hotel in Bermuda, and the first to be built on the South Shore.A number of events are being planned to mark the occasion starting in March. No figure was given on the cost of the infrastructure enhancement project.