ROSE HALL, St James- Bernd Kuhlen, General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Rose Hall, on Friday assured the business community here that the five-star resort had no intention of quitting its current location, despite efforts by the owners, Rose Hall Resort LP.

“The Ritz-Carlton has a long-term lease with the owners and we do not agree with the attempt to terminate it…the matter is being addressed through arbitration in the US and in the Jamaican courts,” he told invited guests at a social hosted by the resort’s White Witch restaurant.

Kuhlen said his update was a response to statements in the press about the matter, not an attempt to engage in inappropriate public debate about it.

Last month, owners of the property in Rose Hall issued a release advising that they were trying, through the Jamaican court system, to get the resort off the property.

According to the release, which came on the heels of the unceremonious sacking of some 83 employees by the resort on January 6, the owners had terminated the management contract with the resort last year.

“We are extremely eager to replace Ritz-Carlton so that we can continue our long relationship with the country of Jamaica and this unique and wonderful property,” said Michele Rollins, President of Rose Hall Developments.

According to Rollins, Rose Hall is committed to maintaining a 5-star resort at the property under the new management of Salamander Hospitality of Middleburg, Virginia.

However, Kuhlen said on Friday that the Ritz was committed to maintaining its five-star status for its clientele.