PROFILE
Mahogany Bay Resort & Beach Club includes 205 cottages and villas .
financed the common areas , but presales of the units to vacation home buyers have supplied much of the funding .
The next challenge was timing . Her company started acquiring land for the project in 2006 , “ then 2008 happened ,” she recalls , and plans were put on hold until early 2013 . Because it ’ s on an island , Ambergris Caye , all the building materials and the labor had to be imported from the mainland — honoring one of Clifford ’ s commitments to build sustainably . Fortunately , Belize is known for its forests , so after considering the possibilities , she set up a manufacturing facility near the source of the wood and the craftspeople . The factory ’ s 160 employees create kits for the cottages and load them onto semis , which are transported on barges to Mahogany Bay , where they are offloaded and assembled on site . The process takes less than nine weeks , shaving a substantial amount of the time ground-up construction would demand .
Besides incorporating Belizean lumber , the cottages and villas are designed to reflect the destination , with tent-like vaulted ceilings and open windows , spacious porches , decor that evokes the British Colonial history and customized furniture .
Clifford ’ s company manages the resort , but she has deliberately avoided operating amenities such as the spa , sports rentals , retail and foodservice , which are all outsourced . “ It ’ s better for me to be the master developer and invite others to come in ,” she says . She also outsourced reservations by signing on with Hilton ’ s Curio Collection . That relationship has lent Mahogany Bay instant credibility and broader exposure .
DOING IT HER WAY Clifford considers her outsider ’ s frame of reference a distinct advantage . With no preconceptions , she was able to design something more customized and individualized — qualities travelers increasingly seek out , she says .
Clifford admits that she is less motivated by financial gain than by the potential to improve lives — whether it ’ s the craftspeople behind the structures and furniture , the cottage businesses that are popping up in the resort ’ s village , the staff at the hotel or even the guests . What she likes most about her job , strategic planning and oversight of resort management ( the latter in a hands-off manner ), is when she sees signs that a staff member is growing professionally and learning . Mahogany Bay is still developing : Clifford expects to add another 100 units to the rental inventory by the end of 2019 . Meanwhile , she is hatching plans for two more resorts . One is a highend intimate development on a secluded piece of land ; the other is a more affordable product designed for the mass market .
“ Beth and the Mahogany Bay team have shown great vision with this investment ,” says Karen Bevans , director of tourism , Belize Tourism Board . “ The Mahogany Bay property has now set the stage and standard for new investments .”
“ We are extremely happy to have partnered with Beth as she developed this property , which has brought employment to over 700 Belizeans ,” adds Juan Corvinos , vice president of development , Latin America , for Hilton Worldwide .
For Clifford , her biggest development yet has been “ a labor of love and a once-in-a-lifetime experience .”
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IT ’ S BETTER FOR ME TO BE THE MASTER DEVELOPER AND INVITE OTHERS TO COME IN . THEY PROVIDE A BETTER EXPERIENCE THAN I WOULD , SINCE THAT ’ S THEIR BUSINESS .”
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42 hotelsmag . com April 2018