Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

( L - R ) Shaggy, Monty Alexander, Kenny Rogers, Michael Bolton, Elmore

WESTERN BUREAU:

With less than two weeks left to Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, organisers are saying there is still not enough room capacity in the Western city to accommodate all its artistes.

"I still do not have enough hotel rooms to stage this show," said Walter Elmore, executive director for the event. "After all the (stress) last year we are still scrambling, begging and pleading for hotel rooms."

According to Mr. Elmore, while some hotels The Ritz Carlton, Half Moon, Holiday Inn, Sunset Beach Resorts, Round Hill on the other side of Montego Bay, and Sandals Inn have made efforts to assist, there are still a number of western hoteliers who have stiffed the organisers.

"I cannot even buy hotel rooms," he said. "We bought about a hundred rooms so far. All of these rooms I bought are from my partner hotels, who gave me a good price."

He added: "The hotels that helped us have done a tremendous job but we are still short of rooms, some of the acts are currently being bussed from Kingston. Ocean Spray and I are trying to place them in Ocho Rios."

Things on track

"It is a shame - the festival has grown to a point where I cannot wait for the new hotels to open."

Despite the room situation, Mr. Elmore said everything else was on track for the staging of the event in the next week.

"Everything (else) is going extremely well," he said. "Our skyboxes are 80 per cent done; the stage and the roof are going in now. The grass is very green and everybody is booked - all the airline seats are booked."

The tenth staging of the festival, Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues 2007 promises to be an event to remember with artistes such as: Earth, Wind and Fire, Michael Bolton, Monty Alexander and Kenny Rogers. There are also unconfirmed rumours that international artiste Sean Paul may make an appearance.