The Bahamas' Popular Baha Mar Is Open and It's Getting Guests Involved in Hurricane Dorian Relief Efforts

Recovery in the Bahamas is an ongoing and arduous process with countless people left homeless and large swaths of the archipelago destroyed following Hurricane Dorian. But the people of the Bahamas and the hotels that make up its large tourism industry have been banding together to help.

In the latest effort, the Baha Mar hotels on Nassau are encouraging visitors at the luxurious properties to pack an extra item for donation, like clothing, shoes, baby items, books, educational supplies, or even stuffed animals and small toys for comfort.

While the category 5 storm made landfall on Great Abaco Island, decimating that northern island as well as Grand Bahama, many of the more southern islands remain intact and welcome tourism dollars.

For its part, Baha Mar is fully operational and ready to welcome guests to its three luxury properties: Grand Hyatt, Rosewood, and SLS Baha Mar. A spokeswoman for Baha Mar told Travel + Leisure that so far, the property has donated $2 million to support the islands’ recovery, and delivers food and other necessities to the shelters in Nassau daily.

“Our hearts are heavy with sadness and loss over Hurricane Dorian’s path of destruction and damage to our beloved nation and its people,” Graeme Davis, the president of Baha Mar, told T+L in a statement. “Now is the time to come together and support those who need our help, especially in The Abacos and Grand Bahama. Baha Mar is spearheading ongoing recovery efforts to aid the victims while working towards strengthening our nation to come back stronger than ever.”

Guests are invited to personally deliver their donations to shelters in Nassau, which are currently housing residents evacuated from Grand Bahama and Abaco. If you’re not coming to the Bahamas, however, the resort is also accepting donations, 100 percent of which will go to those affected by the storm.

Baha Mar isn’t the only Bahamas resort stepping up to help its fellow island residents. Last week, the Atlantis organized a GoFundMe page with 100 percent of the proceeds going to The Bahamas Red Cross. So far, the fund has already raised more than $154,000 of its $1 million goal.