The Lucayan Hotel and Casino was opened in December 1963. The 263 room hotel was built at a cost $8.6m by Canadian Louis Chesler (president of Grand Bahama Development Ltd) with the assistance of Dino Cellini, an associate of gambling magnate, Meyer Lansky (a mob gangster).
The Hotel was part of Wallace Grove’s Grand Bahama Port Authority development. Groves and Chesler eventually split, and the hotel was sold to another Canadian, Allen Manus – president of Molly Corp. the world’s largest producer of wall fastener. When Allen S. Manus purchased the hotel, he immediately leased the casino portion of the hotel to Grand Bahama Amusement Company (GBAC). The casino was to be designed to reflect the casinos of Monte Carlo.
The hotel boasted a 18 hole golf course (opened 1 November 1963) which covered 230 acres and was designed by Dick Wilson.
In addition to the hotel, Five Wheels Ltd, a company controlled by Molly Corp, was contracted to build the Lucayan Villas and Marina. The marina was designed to provide 160 slips for accommodating yachts up to 150ft in length, while the villas provided 40 plush rooms and a restaurant for 200.
In 1965, Manus leased the hotel for nine years to a German consortium of bankers and by 1969 the venture went bust. The hotel was sold by the liquidators for $13m to Andre J Andreoli and by 5 January 1975, the hotel again went into receivership. In 1976 the hotel was purchased by the Bahamian Government for $3m and managed by Canadian Hotel firm, CP Hotels.
Postcards
1964 – Dexter Press Inc (DT-88900-B Series – Type A)
1965 – Calypso Distributors Ltd (P64900 Series – Type B)
1968 – Dexter Press Inc (DT-33700-C Series)
1971 – John Hinde Limited (2BH Series – Type C – No.1-49)
1971 – Colorpicture (A93900 Series)
1978 – Dexter Press Inc (DT-600-D Series – Type G)
