1/16/25 – 1/23/25

To: HOTC Members
RE: Recent Closing/Re-opening, Hotel Conditions, Sewage

Dear HOTC Members,

We have several topics we’d like to address in this letter.

1) RECENT HOTEL CLOSURE: As you may have heard, the HOTC was temporarily closed due to a claim by the Dept. of Health (DOH) that there was Legionnaire’s Disease found in the hotel’s water supply.

What we know-
Apparently, several months ago, 3 guests fell ill with flu-like symptoms, ie, cough, fever, chills, headaches, etc. One person was hospitalized, all recovered. We are not sure how it was determined that whatever the guests contracted, came from HOTC. The Dept. of Health (DOH) only stated that it came from HOTC water supply.

It is also unclear why there was a delay in the DOH’s inspection of the HOTC’s water. (3 months). We will not speculate. But because of this, the DOH temporarily closed the HOTC (around 1/10/25) until further tests and inspections were completed. The HOTC cistern was treated and shower heads were replaced, and the water supply passed DOH inspection.

As of 1/16/25 the hotel has re-opened and everything is back to normal operations. There is no need to cancel or alter your upcoming stay at The Hotel on the Cay. All guests who were staying at the HOTC at the time of closure (approx. 6 days)  were accommodated at The King Christian. The Beach Bar and BBQ remained open the entire time, and their water supply has also recently been tested and is safe.

If you have any concerns about this issue, please contact the hotel directly at 340-773-2035. Again, the HOTC is open for business!

We ask that you please contact us or the hotel first before sharing group emails about what you may have read or heard. Do not take online publications as gospel. They tend to sensationalize.

We understand your concerns, but we do not want to create any unnecessary outrage. There has been a request for a maintenance fee refund, but that is not viable, as we are bound to our side of the Right of Usage Agreement, and no-one has been denied accommodations. We are still in communication with our lawyer about how to proceed with hotel conditions. (See #2 below)

FYI –  We have also had recent guests state that, “The HOTC is the same as the last several years.” and “I still enjoyed my stay.” (Thank you C, and we’re glad to hear it!)

2) HOTEL CONDITIONS AND SEWAGE BY THE BOARDWALK: We have compiled a list of the observations about the hotel’s conditions. We have sent that list to our lawyer, Ed Barry. He has forwarded these observations to the Developer. We will also be sending these complaints to The Dept. Of Property and Procurement (DPP).

We also ask that each of our HOTC Members (that’s you), to email the Department of Property and Procurement DPP. They are the inspectors of commercial entities, hotels, restaurants, etc in the USVI. They made bi-weekly/monthly inspections while the HOTC TSA maintained the property. We still have a binding agreement called our Right of Usage Agreement. This agreement states that the hotel will be maintained the same as, if not more improved than when we relinquished it to the Developer, at least until the Developer attains permits for major improvements.

We urge all Members to email their concerns and complaints about the conditions of the HOTC to the Assistant Commissioner Vincent Richards, Dept. of Property and Procurement at VINCENT.RICHARDS@DPP.VI.GOV.  Feel free to mention how the conditions are now, verses how they were when the HOTC Timeshare Association managed it. It is important that complaints come from you individually, and not just from us, the Board.

Finally, please forward your DPP complaint email to our office Administrator Jane, at gmapowers1950@gmail.com and myself Fran Scuderi, Secretary at gosouth99@aol.com, so we have a digital record of your complaints for future reference.

3) BOARDWALK SEWAGE: There have been complaints about sewage seeping into the water by the gut along the back side of the Hotel Danske, as well as from a pipe somewhere under the King Christian end of the boardwalk. It’s created quite a stink! Multiple businesses along the boardwalk, including King Christian, have been especially vocal toward the Dept. Of Health about this issue. I have spoken directly to  two of those businesses today, and was told that due to high winds and rough seas, the bay and boardwalk areas seem to have been “flushed out”.

We also urge you to call the DOH at 340-725-5389 to voice your concerns.

On a lighter note, we have also learned that there have been several improvements to Rolling Smoke BBQ on the Cay, and the bar bathrooms. If you have some good news, please share it with myself or Jane at the addresses above.

We thank you ALL for your loyalty to our beloved Hotel on the Cay. I personally will be there in March/April. I hope to see you there.

Warm Regards,
The HOTC Board
Fran Scuderi
Secretary