Major renovation works are underway at the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel and Bungalow in Vaisigano with the iconic hotel built during colonial times getting fresh paint and is believed that it could back in operation this year as Samoa gears for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October.

Located on the Beach Road the waterfront hotel closed its doors temporarily in December 2020 due to flash floods despite the existence of the newly constructed Vaisigano seawall. 

The costly damage from that flooding was substantial and the closure of borders due to COVID-19 afterwards kept the hotel doors closed since. 

But despite those hiccups, the Sheraton Aggie Grey’s Hotel was still rostering a skeleton staff and quietly carrying out maintenance and renovation works in the past. 

Hotel representatives referred all queries to the Director of Operation, Frank Lu who is currently overseas and did not respond to emails by press time.  

Meanwhile, renovation work is being carried out by Gain Construction, an overseas-based company brought in to do the major refurbishment work. 

Most of the building material is being imported while sand is being locally supplied. 

The main foyer of the hotel has been pulled down with construction workers laying new tiles on the entrance. 

The waterfront hotel has more than 170 rooms of different room types and underwent major refurbishment in 2016 with a modern design.  

The Government now holds 30 per cent shares worth $30 million in the Vaisigano property which was up for a mortgage sale by the former owners with the Development Bank of Samoa (D.B.S.).  

The major renovation works are also in preparation to host guests from the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Apia. 

The intervention by the current Government to take over shares was of national interest considering the premium facility and against the backdrop of Samoa hosting CHOGM in October.  

The Aggie Greys Hotel Limited loan from the D.B.S. was funded by a credit line facility through the Central Bank of Samoa. However, when the hotel was sold to Chinese business interest, the hotel's former owner’s debts with other banking institutions in Samoa were cleared except for the one with the D.B.S. which remained unpaid.