Widely considered one of the premier resort and residential developments in Providenciales, Grace Bay Club is a success story that brilliantly demonstrates the entrepreneurial acumen of a young, dynamic team made up of developers Mark Durliat and John Fair and hotelier Nikheel Advani.
In just five years since purchasing the property in 2001 this team has converted a US$14-million asset to a $200-million thriving resort property of the highest caliber, achieving real estate sales prices nearly double those of competitors and setting record prices for the region. The extraordinary success of this unbranded property, now uniquely positioned as a clear leader among the giant global brands competing in Turks & Caicos, is a David-and-Goliath epic that underscores the power of innovative entrepreneurship.
With a clear focus on creating value for shareholders and partners, the team developed a strategy built on relationship sales, both in the residential field and in the hospitality operations of the resort. Collectively Durliat & Fair set out to attract seasoned, corporate-trained hospitality stars who share a similar entrepreneurial spirit by looking within the brand giants to find key talent for this independent property. In 2004, Grace Bay Club appointed celebrated hotelier Nikheel Advani, an internationally respected hotelier known for the impeccable service level he maintained at Raffles and Ritz-Carlton. Advani quickly focused his attention on luring in other top-notch hospitality leaders from prominent companies like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Raffles.
The company’s strength has been in attracting the best possible talent on all levels while growing the hospitality culture that exists within our development team, which itself has tremendous experience and depth. Durliat & Fair together were able to establish a remarkable resort real estate product; Advani brought the operational and hospitality pedigree and expertise which has completed the team. The company is small and agile, but with the talent depth of the huge hotel companies, which gives this property an edge.
The Grace Bay Club brand has become synonymous with high-end Caribbean travel, and is now matching—or even beating—rates of the industry giants.
Mark Durliat – CEO/Developer
Mark has been a resident of the Turks & Caicos Islands for over 6 years and has more than 15 years of experience in development and management of hotels, condominium hotels, golf resorts and condominiums. Born & raised in Colorado, Mark has had an international real estate career, developing in the Turks & Caicos, France, Belgium and South Africa.
Mark serves the role of Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of Providenciales’ luxury Grace Bay Club and its associated residential developments. In 2001, together with partner John Fair and a consortium of private international investors, Mark negotiated the acquisition of the original resort property. The team subsequently embarked on an aggressive and highly sophisticated expansion that has increased the resort’s value from its original level of $14M to more than $200M. Grace Bay Club, through its affiliated residential projects, surpassed all records on Turks & Caicos in average sales price per unit, sales absorption pace and sales price per square foot.
Durliat oversees all resort development activities as well as residential sales and real estate marketing. In addition, Mark implemented and launched Grace Bay Club’s own private label branded rental management program, absorbing all condo units into the hospitality operations as managed by the five-star resort. Durliat also co-owns with John Fair the hotel management company under which the Grace Bay Club operations are managed. Grace Bay Club is considered one of the premier resort and residential developments in the Caribbean. It is a member of Leading Hotels of the World and has been listed among the “World’s Best” by Travel & Leisure Magazine, “Top 5” by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, “Resort of the Year 2006” by Island Destinations, “Most Excellent Resort 2006” by Condé Nast/Johansens and “Best of the Best” by Robb Report.
Durliat was personally appointed to the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board in 2005 by the Premier of the Turks & Caicos and actively speaks on behalf of the TCI Government at regional and international marketing seminars and the Caribbean Investment Conference circuit. He is an Honorary Member of the Turks & Caicos Aids Awareness Foundation. He also has a residential project under development in the Turks & Caicos which will include the construction of some 60 middle income homes over the next 5 years.
At the age of 27 Durliat founded and operated a boutique development company in Cape Town after an introduction to South Africa by the legendary golfer Gary Player, with whom he had previously worked for several years. Between 1995 and 1999, Durliat’s best-known success was the 126-room Cape Suites Hotel, a condominium hotel development project involving the sale of all condominium units under a structured management program and the securing of an international hotel management brand. This property became one of the best performing business hotels in the destination, earning Durliat respect as an authority in the city’s burgeoning condo-hotel industry.
He additionally developed multiple luxury condominium projects and intimate guest houses in South Africa, and spearheaded several feasibility studies for golf course and residential projects involving Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Prior to moving to South Africa, Mark worked in collaboration with Gary Player in the development of a $30-million golf, hotel and residential project in Belgium, for which Durliat managed all sales and marketing to neighboring European countries plus development of the golf course and residential subdivision.
Mark holds a BS in Business (Entrepreneur Program) from the University of Southern California with a minor in French. He divides his time between his residences in Miami and Providenciales and also owns a home in Cape Town, South Africa, where he visits regularly.
Nikheel Advani – Chief Operating Officer
Nikheel Advani, Chief Operating Officer and Principal of Grace Bay Club, joined the resort in 2004, initially as general manager. He has now expanded his role at Grace Bay Club and serves as managing director responsible for a variety of guest- and owner-related services plus resort development. Nikheel Advani’s energy, entrepreneurial spirit and extensive background in the hospitality industry is put to full use at Grace Bay Club as it evolves from a 21-room luxury suite resort to a full-service resort with 59 villas and suites, three restaurants, water and land sports, a bar and lounge, a new spa and fitness center, a new Hotel School, and a new children’s program.
Advani’s background is well-suited for his position at Grace Bay Club, a resort that has been named to Condé Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” since 1995. Not only does he bring substantial hotel management and food and beverage expertise to the resort from his previous positions at Raffles Hotel in Singapore and The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park, but he has also personally dabbled in a variety of hospitality-related areas. A personal invitation to his home will afford a private glimpse into how superb hospitality should evolve: Nikheel is the consummate host, chef and wine connoisseur.
Advani wasn’t always headed for the hospitality industry. His original, post-collegiate career in engineering proved less-than-exciting for him, and he instead began his rapid ascent in the hospitality world as a server and dish washer, where he experienced from the ground up what it takes to make any customer a happy, returning client. He fondly remembers his earlier experiences as a teenager in Singapore waiting and bartending in the homes of embassy officials, where he was introduced to the protocol of superior hospitality and detail.
Mr. Advani was most recently Hotel Manager at Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Prior to joining Raffles in 2002, Mr. Advani navigated the food and beverage world with Ritz-Carlton for seven years. Rising through the ranks, Mr. Advani began his career at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Millenia Singapore as a banquet operations manager. He was subsequently responsible for the food and beverage openings of Ritz-Carlton properties in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Sarasota, and New York-Battery Park. A priority across all of these positions for Nikheel has been the mentoring and training of staff to develop “peak performance teams.”
Born in Nigeria, raised in Singapore and educated in the United States, Mr. Advani’s rich cultural background and work experience in more than 10 cities in three continents has molded him into a “renaissance man” of the hospitality industry. A chameleon in his versatility to handle a variety of positions simultaneously, he became a darling of the media in 2001 when he introduced the world’s first Water Sommelier at 2 West, the upscale restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park. He also made his mark on the hotel’s cuisine with the introduction of “bento box” lunches at the restaurant and food tiers and tumbler drinks at the hotel’s bar, Rise.
Mr. Advani graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with an honors degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration. He also successfully completed the General Manager Program at Harvard Business School. A Singapore national, Mr. Advani is fluent in English and Mandarin and proficient in French and Hindi. In addition to his thirst for visiting new countries and absorbing new cultural influences, Nikheel is an accomplished scuba diver, a fan of motor cross, and an active participant in the Big Brother Mentor program.
Michael Brewster
Chairman of the Board. Founding and Managing Partner of SV Capital Partners.
30 years experience in investment and development of high-end, luxury resorts. SV Capital was the initial lead investor in the development of Grace Bay Club, Villas, and The Estate.n of motor cross, and an active participant in the Big Brother Mentor program.
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