A flurry of investments in the hospitality sector, triggered by the windfall of oil opportunities, has led to another major investment – this time the US$45 million AC Mariott Hotel.
President Dr Irfaan Ali and hotel officials on Thursday turned the sod signalling the official commencement of the project at Plantation Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
For this week already, the Head of State was present for the sod turning of the Blue Bridge Hotel at Liliendaal and a Sheraton Marriott Hotel at Houston, East Bank Demerara. Then on Wednesday, he opened the new Pegasus Hotel Suites and Corporate Center. These recent events have unlocked a newer level in the country’s infrastructural growth.
Sitting on three acres of land with 150 rooms, the internationally-branded hotel will take some 27 months to be completed. AC Hotels by Marriott is a chain of hotels operating in almost 200 locations. Through Trinuyana Investments, this project will be executed by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
As he delivered the feature address, President Ali said the presence of this hotel takes the investor’s reach into South America – beyond their current scope of operation. Ali has remarked that the entire area will eventually become a corridor for large-scale transformative structures. Meanwhile, projects running parallel by the Government will add to the value of the brand and real estate.
“The goal is not a narrow goal of building more rooms. If we believe that that is the goal, we are wasting time. That is just an output of the goal. The goal is to build a sector in which hospitality is the main cornerstone of growth and development…Building a sector is directly related to supporting a robust, sustainable, and resilient development plan that is linked to many new and innovative products.”
He underscored that the scale of such developments requires partnerships that are unbreakable and possess seamless coordination. “Integration is not a theory. Integration is something in practice. We can shout as much as we want about regional integration but it means nothing if it remains in theory. Integration has to be something in practice. I will say there is no other country in the region that has demonstrated our willingness in the strength we have demonstrated in the true meaning of integration,” he relayed.
He is encouraging more investments in the eco-tourism landscape and other areas feasible for stakeholders, now that the traffic to Guyana’s markets has reached new heights.
“We have to get done because we have a responsibility to support your investment by building the platform and creating the opportunities that will bring traffic here. As we expand our footprint and take us into new markets, that is part of what we do as part of what we have to do. We cannot expect the private sector to invest in supply without making a necessary investment that will support, bolster and make it successful. I want to show you that in this government, in this country, we have a vision that will not only support the oil and gas industry but will open up new investments.”
Chairman of Trinuyana Investments Incorporated, John Aboud recognised the ‘tsunami of investments’ coming here and linked to the receptive nature of the Government towards development. He underscored that Guyanese are to be trained to occupy at least 95 per cent of employees at the Hotel. He noted that immense cooperation was provided to ensure that the project picks up pace, enabling attention to other projects of interest.
“Over the many years that I’ve been in business, I have had the opportunity to interact with many government agencies throughout the Caribbean region and I can tell you without fear of hesitation and pride, Guyana stands tall…It is our intention to have as many nationals participate in both the construction and operational phases of this project. And when necessary, we will commence training of Guyanese nationals to assume if not all of the positions and the hotel, at least 95 per cent will be Guyanese nationals. That this project is not the first that this investment the team aspires to undertake in Guyana.”
Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond reflected that when the government took office in 2020, having taken stock of accommodation, the ambition was revised from adding 200 quality rooms to 2,000. Projects in the pipeline now enable 1,500 rooms by 2025, changing the landscape and moving greater transformation. This is 75 per cent of the Government’s five-year target for the hospitality sector.
“That, in my opinion, is all senses is transformation. Something that is transformed bears little resemblance to what existed before. We would see 1,500 rooms by 2025 and this is not just talking. These are rooms that are actively under construction that we have come and turned the sod,” Minister Walrond underscored. Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment, Dr Peter Ramsaroop noted that in building a healthy economy, infrastructure will be unraveled to keep up with this development.
“When you develop a healthy economy, you eliminate the infrastructure logjams. The President is very big on infrastructure development. And as we move forward, everything we do, and under the guidance of His Excellency is measurable. You can manage what you can measure and every plan that he has presented so far is measurable,” Ramsaroop shared.
