I asked Nils to weigh in, to put the question to rest. It is what it is, but I am just curious to know, and there do seem to be conflicting statements. Unless the difference is, as you suggest, the rental-ready, post-Irma numbers vs the total including those under repair.
Sure..let's see what he says.
The point is/was:there are enough villas on the island to have a near normal tourist season and welcome tens of thousands of visitors,including the most important ones :the high end clientele.
I do somewhat agree with Alachick's post in a way.Eden Roc pop up restaurant on the beach is the perfect example of what can be achieved in a short amount of time.And in any case,going forward,the design will need to be modified (florida keys...nothing on the ground level so the water can move in and out ? )
The problem is to find available spots on the beach to make them happen.
Once again,the problem is and will be the lack of beach restaurants/bars/clubs for the 2019 season.
Mr Dufau declared the villas had 2,200 bedrooms (and let's add the flats to rent)...It is impossible to have thousands of high end clients on the island and have only 5 spots open (NB,Lil Rock,Shellona,la plage,Christopher and eventually Toiny (too far in my opinion,but let's count them in) ..compared to 12 the previous year.
The problem is not the furniture (it can be moved/stored away) but the professional kitchen and how to design it "watertight "
One of Irma's lessons (in my opinion) is that you can't afford to lose your beach spots in case of a major hurricane...You then get the hurricane pain,followed by massive financial pain.A double whammy that can be avoided,by careful planning (The Tokyo lesson)
The island can't afford to (and doesn't have to) lose 1 or 2 years of touristic season after each major hurricane .
It is also clear that the new paradigm will deeply impact the beaches in the future.Another serious debate for the future of the island.