CARIBE HILTON CLOSING FOR RENOVATION.

The Caribe Hilton will shut its doors on March 21 to undergo US$45 million in renovations and reopen in December, in time for the next tourism high season, reports The San Juan Star (January 26, 1999): The renovations are part of a US$115 million planned investment by Hilton, which last year bought the property from the Government for US$80 million, says general manager Raul Bustamante. Next year, the hotel will add 300 rooms on a recently acquired piece of adjacent land; More than 600 employees will lose their jobs during the project, and there is no guarantee that they will be rehired, according to hotel officials. The Gastronomic Union, which represents 595 of the hotel's 645 employees, claims the lengthy closure is a way for management to get rid of the union, and to shed staff that has bene with the hotel for more than 20 years. Architects for the renovations are BBBM of Washington DC and the local firm Rodriguez, Jimenez & Barcelo.