President Irfaan Ali, yesterday inspected ongoing works at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotels International, Timehri where he expressed satisfaction with the progress of works completed.
Completion of this hotel has been severely delayed. The sod was turned on July 2nd, 2021 and the hotel was originally supposed to be completed in the early part of 2023.
The six-storey edifice is being constructed on 2.5 acres of land leased from government and features 150 rooms, including five executive suites. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Roy Bassoo of Cardinal Investments Inc., the company executing the project, disclosed that works are expected to be completed by March 2025. The new completion date allows for the execution of additional works.
According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), Project Manager, Jonathan Mohal explained three reasons behind the new completion date; Installation of solar panels to supply heated water to the hotel: “[In] The conventional way we would use electricity to supply heated water to the hotel, but this is a green initiative. By doing this, it increases the energy saving capacity at the hotel, and it promotes a green environment,” Mohal explained. DPI said that this aligns with the government’s push towards cleaner, renewable energy sources, and offers greater efficiency; secondly, expansion of the hotel’s water storage capacity to approximately 20,000 gallons, and thirdly, logistics “… We would have had some issues with transporting, in terms of bringing the long-lead items from China.
You can’t really control the shipping routes and the delays when it comes to weather and things like that. So, that also played a major role in terms of affecting the progress,” the project manager added.
The government in 2021 signed a US$20 million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cardinal Investments Inc to design and build the hotel with funds sourced in part through syndicated financing led by Republic Bank. Construction was led by Bassoo Building and Civil Engineering Contractors with support from Chinese construction and engineering firm, Qing Jian Group Company [CNQC]. When operational, DPI the hotel is expected to create employment for in excess of 200 persons. Marriott International, according to DPI, is facilitating hospitality training. “Marriott starts like six months before the opening date, so they are here with us getting the team together to manage the hotel,” Mohal said.
Additionally, DPI noted that the government is constructing a state-of-the-art Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute at Port Mourant, Berbice, to meet the growing demands of the sector. The facility, according to DPI, will provide hands-on training in a diverse areas within the service sector, preparing persons for careers in hotels and restaurants, among other related industries. President Ali was accompanied by Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan, Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken, and other senior officers. The hotel is one minute away from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) entrance. When completed, it will be Guyana’s first major “airport hotel,” accommodating airline crew, staff, business personnel, diplomats, and other travelers, DPI said.
