Developers of what will be Guyana’s first dual-branded hotel, Hits and Jams Entertainment, say the project is currently in its design phase and they are aiming to have it launched by December of this year.
Speaking with Stabroek News, Kerwin Bollers of Hits and Jams said that they are currently working with an architectural firm, SOW Designs Studios, from Miami. He explained that they are at the stage of finalising their floor plans and overall design of the building.
The hotel, which will be constructed in the shape of an ‘H’ at Providence, East Bank Demerara, will be a Sheraton and Element-branded hotel. A bridge will be used to connect the vertical sections of the ‘H’, which are expected to be 20 floors high.
The Sheraton and Element are both owned by Marriott Hotels. The Sheraton will consist of 150 rooms and cater to short-term stays while the Element with 150 rooms will be used for long-term stays and have a luxury apartment feel to it.
The Element, he pointed out, will be equipped with a kitchen, living room and work station, among other amenities, for persons working from Guyana.
“It is a very complex project we are working on and we want to create this mix vibe and have it available in one place. It is going to be two hotels, one location with completely different looks and feel,” he said.
Touching on the selection of the design firm, he said that they were chosen by Marriott from an approved list of architectural entities.
Just after taking office last year, the PPP/C-led government had put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop the hospitality sector.
Government told interested persons that it would use the responses to the RFPs “to rank and select those parties” who would then be invited to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) including land terms, zoning, development conditions, and other incentives, that will be provided.
Hits and Jams back in November had signed a MoU with the Guyana Office for Investment paving the way for the project to get off the ground.
In late September, President Irfaan Ali had told this newspaper that plans were on stream for four new hotel franchises to be established here. Shortly after taking office, according to Ali, a number of business proposals were sent to his government, including expressions to build hotels. It was in light of this, he said, that expressions of interest would have been publicly advertised, so that all interested hoteliers and investors are given a chance to highlight projects intended.
“All of those projects will generate hundreds of jobs. In the construction phase and then in the permanent phase, when it comes into operation. We, at least, would like to see four new branded hotels here in Guyana. We have already gone out to a public expression of interest. That is out about a week now,” he said.
To date, two of the hotels, Courtyard by Marriott located at Timehri, next to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri and the Aiden-branded hotel at Oronoque and Robb streets, are currently under construction.
The construction of the hotels is a part of Ali’s vision to make 2,000 hotel rooms available to meet the needs of the country’s emerging business sector as a result of oil and gas activities.
Other hotel brands scheduled for Guyana are the Radisson Blu, Delta Hotel by Marriott, SureStay Plus Best Western, Hilton and Hyatt, among others.
