Spanish hotel firm Melia has signed an agreement to operate a 700-bedroom hotel in the giant Baha Mar development in the Bahamas

Baha Mar, which includes a new golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus' practice, is a near US$4 billion project, comprised of 1,000 acres of land, including nearly a mile of oceanfront, close to Nassau International Airport. The development will include five hotels (totalling more than 2,900 rooms), a casino, convention centre and spa, as well as the golf course. Melia plans to refurbish the existing Nassau Beach Resort in time for the grand opening of Baha Mar next December.

The front nine of the Nicklaus-designed Royal Blue course will offer ocean views, while the back nine winds through inland forest and other native habitat. A spokesman for Nicklaus said the course would be finished early next year, but would open alongside the rest of the development in December.