A new racket centre at Rosewood Bermuda promises to be a game-changer for the future of sports and tourism on the island, the Minister of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport said yesterday.

Owen Darrell added that visitors will enjoy an ideal opportunity to try out amenities at one of the island’s best settings.

The facility features the island’s first padel courts — two state-of-the-art grounds constructed by Agile Courts, which installs courts under its arrangement with adidas for the US Padel Association.

It also features four new pickleball courts and a selection of premium racket equipment.

The facility does not only cater for visitors, Mr Darrell said.

He explained: “It’s a place where Bermudians of all ages can stay active, can learn new skills and share in the joy of sports.”

The minister said that the facility affords the island another opportunity to showcase its “active, welcoming and world-class” spirit.

He added: “It also strengthens our sports tourism sector, attracting tournaments, trainings camps and enthusiasts from around the globe.

“That means more hotel stays, more restaurant visits and more opportunities for local businesses to thrive.”

Alessandro Colantonio, the chief investment officer at Gencom, said that the project was a key milestone in the company’s long-term master plan to enhance amenities at the resort.

He said that the racket centre was designed to serve sport enthusiasts and families alike, offering programmes and activities for adults and children.

Mr Colantonio added: “The investment will create new employment opportunities, as we’ll be hiring additional staff to run the facility.”

David Burt, the Premier, said that the company’s investment in the project reinforced Bermuda’s status as a top destination while delivering lasting benefits for the island.

He said: “This new racket centre elevates the Rosewood Tucker’s Point beyond being the best of Bermuda and it aids their positioning to make it among one of the finest luxury resorts in the world.”

The Premier added that families will be able to enjoy two of the fastest-growing sports globally at the facility.

Mr Burt commended the government teams that worked with the hotel for the project to materialise.

He added: “We do our best to work with developers and investors to make sure their dreams become a reality.”

Meanwhile, Mr Colantonio said, redevelopment work at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel — which is also operated by Gencom — was progressing, but offered no further comment on the status of renovations.

The resort, which includes the island’s largest hotel, is undergoing a major transformation.

It closed in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and was then slated for redevelopment.

Crews formally broke ground on the renovation in November 2024, with government and private-sector support that included a $75  million sovereign guarantee for the project.

Westend Properties, the Gencom affiliate that owns the Fairmont Southampton, said in February 2024 that work had begun at the property’s beach club, with preliminary preparations under way for refurbishments at the hotel itself.

In January this year, the company announced that about 50 construction workers were regularly on site at the resort with “additional waves” to join them in subsequent weeks.