Baha Mar forced to ‘evacuate’ guests ahead of Hurricane Irma

The Baha Mar integrated resort ordered its guests to ‘evacuate’ the premises this week as the Bahamas braced for Hurricane Irma’s arrival.

Baha Mar officially shut down its operations Thursday night as Irma’s path brought its Category 4 fury to the southeastern portion of the Bahamas. Two days earlier, Baha Mar’s Grand Hyatt Hotel informed customers that it would “require all guests to evacuate the property either to local shelter or to evacuate the island.”

On Thursday, Baha Mar senior VP of government and external affairs Robert Sands told the Bahamas Tribune that the property had arranged early departure for “almost 100%” of its guests before the Lynden Pindling Airport was slated to close that night.

The evacuation caused some observers to arch their eyebrows, particularly since many of the Bahamas’ other resorts are traditionally viewed by local residents as the best places to ride out the region’s frequent bouts of inclement weather.