By Antonio Dey
The sod was turned yesterday for a US$300 million resort and convention centre, at Carifesta Avenue, an initiative of a Qatari company, Assets Group.
President of Power International Holding Ramez Al-Khayyat who disclosed this ballpark figure to Stabroek News yesterday during a sideline interview said that Assets Group was the sole investor in the landmark Georgetown seafront convention centre. He said that due to the conducive business climate here, Assets Group was motivated to invest in a project which would be beneficial to citizens.
This newspaper understands that Al-Khayyat is also among the principals of Assets Group, a real estate development company owning a diverse portfolio of properties, hotels and resorts. Power International Holding is a Qatari-based conglomerate which operates general contracting, real estate, food and agriculture, hospitality, and services.
During his remarks at the sod-turning ceremony, the businessman said that what will emerge is a five-star development with a unique design and outstanding facilities which will have a total of 76,000 square metres of built-up area.
“This development will offer 260 hotel rooms and suites, 150 service apartments for long stay and premium villas, a members club, retail units which will offer international food and beverages and high luxury fashion brands,” he stated.
Al-Khayyat said that the project is also expected to accommodate a state-of-the-art health club and will contribute significantly to Guyana’s tourism sector.
“We believe that Guyana seafront resorts and convention centre will herald a new era of Guyana tourism and hospitality sector Insha’Allah,” Al-Khayyat said.
“We firmly believe that this ground-breaking activity represents the first of a range of Power International Holding investments through its different groups of subsidiaries, [and] companies across the multiple sectors which include [but are] not limited to energy, petrochemical, oil and gas infrastructure and manufacturing services.”
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond said, “This particular event will, in the future, be looked upon as a critical inflection point in the extraordinary transformation in Guyana’s tourism and hospitality sector. It is not that the construction of this facility is transformational. In and of itself in truth, the resort will feature over 400 rooms… This may probably have a minimal impact on our development.
“However, this initiative does not come in a vacuum. Rather, it comes in the context of the larger vision and strategy that we have for the hospitality industry.
“… On the completion of this hotel, we will have the better part of 1,000 rooms concentrated in this short stretch. This combined capacity will immediately impact positively, the feasibility of our hosting larger regional conferences and events, which is part of our strategy for the industry.”
She assured citizens that her administration’s vision for sustainable development will result in an eco-friendly society.
According to the minister, the government is working to improve and beautify the Kitty seawall.
“We have already seen the positive effects of the beautification of the lower Kingston seawall area and the efforts led by our First Lady, but there are plans to have a boardwalk from lower Kingston to the Kitty roundabout and possibly beyond,” Walrond revealed.
There are also plans for the enhancement of the National Park as a green space with additional walking trails, and other requisite facilities, she said.
“All of these enhancements are aimed at providing safe recreational areas for residents and visitors… I trust that with these few words, I may have conveyed that the government has a vision for sustainable development that sensibly balances our need to create economic opportunities for our people today, with the need to preserve our environment for the benefit of future generations,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali said that the historic seafront symbolises the soon-to-be transformative agenda of the capital city.
Ali during his feature address in the presence of Trinidadian Prime Minister Keith Rowley, special invitees and several members of the Qatari delegation noted that consequent to strong relations with Middle Eastern states such as Qatar, this project was able to come on-stream.
“This relationship is a result of our government’s commitment in diversifying the investor stream and by diversifying the capital markets through which investment is made in critical areas of importance,” the President said. “In our discussions with Qatar, there are several areas that were focused on tourism, hospitality, the services sector, oil and gas, and food security for Guyana.
“In Guyana today, we have increasing arrivals for tourism, but we also have increasing arrivals for business strategists, development planners and other key stakeholders that require this sort of development.”
According to the Head of State, his administration is working assiduously to promote an eco-friendly environment by improving the aesthetics of Georgetown.
Doing this will additionally develop the upward trajectory of eco-tourism here, Ali said. “That is why we’re investing heavily in the development of the city. You have seen already across the city, where we’re building up the infrastructure. We have committed ourselves to revamping the entire drainage system,” he added.
Ali is adamant that Georgetown must be on par with the notable green cities in the world.
The President also mentioned the development of luxury eco lodges which is potentially a driver in eco-tourism. He projected that at the end of this year, several hotels which are slated for opening will add a total of 1,300 world-class rooms to the local market. Giving a breakdown, he said the Aiden by Best Western at the corner of Robb and Oronoque streets, Georgetown is slated for opening in June, this year with 150 rooms. The Marriott Courtyard at Timehri, which is expected to open by the last quarter, will have 150 rooms.
Ali said that the Four Points Sheraton Hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara will have 172 rooms, while the AC Marriott at Ogle, East Coast Demerara slated for opening in December will have 152 rooms. The Hyatt Place, also at Providence, will have 136 rooms, the President further noted.
Ali said that with the five hotels being constructed, the total investment is now more than US$250 million.
Meanwhile, with the sod turned for the construction of the seafront and convention centre on what was identified as the Guyana National Service (GNS) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) grounds, which were meant for educational, recreational and institutional purposes, Chief Citizen Alfred Mentor lamented that the government had not consulted with the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
He reported that the council had already commenced investigations into the commercial venture, and depending on the findings, the M&CC will determine its course of action on the issue.
“If the government thinks that they can just slip away without consulting us then we have no option but to take this matter to the courts because this is totally out of order,” Mentore declared.
Former minister of Public Works David Patterson also rapped the government for not publicising an urban renewal plan or the process employed in supposedly transferring ownership of the lands on Carifesta Avenue to be utilised for the construction of the hotel.
The Alliance for Change member who is also the ppposition’s spokesperson on Public Works noted that the disposal of any state lands, particularly in prime locations, should be done in an “open and transparent manner.”
The lands were reportedly assigned by the estate of Quintin Hogg in 1887 to the city of Georgetown with the covenant that they be used for recreational purposes. This was later amended to allow educational institutions.
Patterson recapped that several officers under the APNU+AFC government have been charged for allegedly disposing of state properties at below-claimed market value. Should the disposal of these properties, not be done openly and transparently, similar charges will be levelled on all officers based on the precedent established by the current government, he pointed out.
According to Patterson, the government’s contention that the values of the lands have been set by the Valuation Department should not be considered “truthful”. He pointed out that this issue is of grave concern to the opposition as the government should engage the M&CC on the issue.
