Ahead of the anticipated influx of visitors to join in the festivities associated with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Guyana’s independence, some of the country’s prominent hotels have told Stabroek Business that they are already fully booked for the period.
Over the past few days Stabroek Business spoke with representatives of six hotels in Georgetown, all of which have indicated that they have already been booked to capacity particularly for the last two weeks in May.
Cara Lodge’s Shawn McGrath said earlier this week that the hotel’s first enquiry regarding accommodation for the anniversary period came as early as last August. “By September we were fully booked for the last three weeks in May 2016. We still continue to receive requests and enquiries daily for rooms. Regrettably, we have had to turn persons down,” McGrath said, a circumstance which he said was reminiscent of the 2007 Cricket World Cup period.
Joan Brandford of Brandsville Apartments said that all of the hotel’s 34 rooms and apartments have long been “fully booked.” Brandford said the facility is booked “with returning clients and new clients” and that she is entirely satisfied that the services on offer will meet with the approval of the visitors. With the anticipated additional pressure on services Brandford said she will employ additional staff during the high-demand period.
When Stabroek Business spoke with Roraima Airways Chief Executive Officer on Wednesday he said he was satisfied that the accommodation which his company offers at its Residency Inn and Duke Lodge facilities will be filled for periods during this year. He said the company also expected to be busy with accommodating guests at its Arrow Point Resort and offering flights to Kaieteur Falls and other interior areas.
Enquiries with Herdmanston Lodge also revealed that visitors for the anniversary period have booked all of the facility’s accommodation while the same applies at the Status Hotel where this newspaper was told that the rooms had been ‘sold out’ since last year and the facility had now taken on the task of looking for alternative accommodation in the city for some of its “regulars” who had been left out in the cold.
Meanwhile, Manager of the Halito Hotel Indira Phyneandy also reported that all 17 of the hotel’s rooms have been fully booked since last October.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Grand Coastal Hotel is reporting that there are still rooms available at the facility which boasts a reputation for high quality food. One of the hotel’s officials, Samantha Looknauth told this newspaper that the Grand Coastal is now offering reduced rates, lowering rates for its standard rooms from US$79 to US$72 and for its Deluxe rooms from US$95 to US$85, while mini suites will cost US$125, down from US$139.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism has published a manual for prospective vendors of Bread and Breakfast (B&B) establishments who are planning to provide such services for visitors for the anniversary period. According to the GINA website, Tourism Director Donald Sinclair has indicated that the guidelines provided in the manual are designed to ensure that the standard at this level of accommodation across the entire hospitality spectrum is above par. Sinclair is quoted as saying that the standard will not end with Golden Jubilee, but will be maintained beyond the period. The manual, according to GINA, outlines the obligations of B&B owners with respect to compulsory physical facilities such as plumbing and sanitation, air conditioned and natural ventilation and food preparation areas, as well as recommended procedures for registration, promotion/marketing and customer feedback.
