Chief Executive Officer of the Roraima Group of Companies Captain Gerry Gouveia has deemed President Bharrat Jagdeo’s recent public comment on standards of service at the Pegasus Hotel “unfortunate” but has said that “as a businessman with an interest in tourism development and in raising service standards in Guyana” he was supportive of the establishment of a Marriott-branded hotel here.
“I believe that the comments made by the President about standards at the Pegasus Hotel were inappropriate. I do not believe that the comments should have been made. On the other hand I support the Marriott brand coming to Guyana,” Gouveia told Stabroek Business.
President Jagdeo’s criticism of service standards at the Pegasus were made at a recent press conference during which he named Gouveia as one of the investors in the hospitality sector who has expressed support for the construction of a Marriott-branded hotel here. The President’s remarks had elicited reaction from Pegasus Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert Badal whose letters in the media raised strong objections to the investment of state funds in the setting up of a Marriott Hotel here and asserting that such a project should be undertaken through private sector investment. Gouveia, the immediate past Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) maintains that “personally,” he is supportive of the idea of the Marriott brand coming to Guyana. He said he believed that Marriott’s endorsement of a hotel being established here was reflective of the brand’s recognition of the potential for growth in the tourism sector and for increased visitor arrivals in Guyana. He said that he believed that the potential benefits to be derived from the Marriott brand coming to Guyana was worth government involvement. “This is not unique to Guyana. It is not unusual for governments to kick start such projects. In both Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados the government was involved in the financing of the Hilton brand. We have a small private sector here in Guyana and the size of such an investment is beyond our capacity. There is also the likelihood that if, for example, the project attracts subsequent overseas involvement the government can then surrender its involvement. When we consider the potential benefits in terms of visitor arrivals, expansion of the tourism sector and job creation, I believe that it is a worthwhile way of spending taxpayers’ money,” Gouveia said.
Gouveia told Stabroek Business that he believed that the setting up of a Marriott Hotel in Guyana was an investment in the future of the hospitality sector. “It is premised on the potential for growth in the market which I believe will materialize over the next ten years,” Gouveia said.
And according to Gouveia the advent of the Marriott brand in Guyana may well revolutionize standards in the country’s hospitality industry. “A brand as prestigious as Marriott will almost certainly introduce new standards in the hospitality sector and will cause the rest of the industry to re-examine their own standards. The truth is that poor standards have become endemic in Guyana and if the hospitality sector is to go forward that has to change,” he added.
“People who understand the relationship between prestigious brands and how they impact on host countries will be aware that the hosting of international brands brings with them a certain prestige, a certain recognition. Travellers follow brands.
Marriott branding will mean more recognition for Guyana. In fact, the wider marketing of the country abroad can benefit from the Marriott’s multi-million dollar investment in the promotion of its properties worldwide,” Gouveia said.
Gouveia, whose Roraima Group of Companies includes the Roraima Boutique Hotel and the Roraima Duke Lodge Hotel told Stabroek Business that he was “particularly excited” about the prospects which the advent of a Marriott holds for tourism in Guyana. “As an investor in the tourism sector I have, for several years, been calling for stronger signals from government that it wants the sector to go forward.
I believe that government’s support for the Marriot project may well be the strongest signal so far of the change of attitude that I have been looking for,” Gouveia said.
Meanwhile, Gouveia told Stabroek Business that “as a businessman” he had nothing but admiration for the move by another Guyanese investor to acquire the Pegasus Hotel. “I believe that Mr. Badal should be commended and encouraged. The Pegasus is a challenge and the evidence suggests that he is pursuing investment in further developing the hotel. The advent of the Marriott could even see the acceleration of plans for the development of the Pegasus,” Gouveia said.
Meanwhile, Gouveia has dismissed assertions in sections of the media that a press statement issued by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) on the Marriott issue did not represent the views of the private sector. “I am aware of the wide private sector circulation from which the statement benefitted. There is no justification whatsoever to the claims that the content of the press release represented the views of just one individual,” he added.
