Sheraton Resort Rarotonga

[1][2] Planning for the resort began in 1987, when the Cook Islands Government was approached by an Italian construction company with a proposal to build a luxury hotel.

[1] In 1990, at the sod-turning ceremony, the site of the hotel was "cursed" by a local family due to a dispute over ownership of the land.

[1] The Cook Islands government remained liable for the interest on the loan, and it grew to $120 million, almost bankrupting the country.

[1] In 2010 the site was purchased by New Zealand-based Mirage Group,[6] who filed an Environmental Impact Assessment seeking approval to redevelop it in 2014.

[11] In May 2022 Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown announced that a local partnership would redevelop the site.