Construction of US$50M Marriott AC Hotel to begin in June as oil boom pushes demand for accommodation
Signing with China Harbor. (L to R) - Andron Alphonso, Richard Smith, Mr. John Aboud, of Trinuyana and Mr. Sammy Chen and Zoey Yang of CHEC.
Trinuyana Investments Inc., which represents a consortium of Guyanese and Trinidadian investors, has signed a contract with China Habour Engineering Company (CHEC) Ltd. for the construction of a US$50M Marriott AC Hotel. The construction is slated to begin on June 1, 2022. Its completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2024.
The contract for the four-star facility with 150 rooms was signed on April 29, 2022.
Under the contract, a five-storey full-service hotel will be built near the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, in Ogle. It is expected that over 400 temporary jobs will be created when construction commences. Once opened, approximately 140 permanent jobs will be created with Guyanese nationals filling 99% of those jobs. The conglomerate was keen to note that training will be provided to improve the skills and talents of employees in all areas of the hospitality industry.
Some of the amenities of the new facility will include a swimming pool, fitness room, lounge, library, media salon, meeting room, reception area, a courtyard, and an outdoor area. Paved parking lots, drive aisles, and site roads will be situated north of the building. Additionally, 114 parking spaces will be provided, while a drop-off roundabout will be constructed in front of the courtyard. Retail stores are also included in the design. The target market includes business and tourist travellers.
The company at the signing gave special praise to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) for facilitating the land, the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) for their support and guidance through the application process, and the Government of Guyana for the incentives provided to support the development of the hotel.
AC Hotel is part of The Marriott group of hotels where the flexibility in design lends itself to a modern feel with open spaces while maintaining its European history.
Furthermore, the Marriott AC is just one of the many hotels to be constructed in response to the accelerated demand for accommodation with the emergence of the oil sector.
In fact, ExxonMobil Guyana had indicated in its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the US$10B Yellowtail Project that there will be a potential increase in demand for lodging as work on its development projects come on stream.
During 2020 and 2021, Exxon said it used several hotels, including the Marriott, Grand Coastal, and Cara Lodge, as staging areas for crew changes and isolation prior to going offshore to ensure safe operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further to this, Exxon noted that its typical monthly demand of 600 rooms along with that of its primary support companies at any one time constitutes approximately 37 percent of the 577-bed capacity of the aforementioned five Georgetown hotels.
With Exxon poised to bring 10 oil ships online this decade, it said there is no doubt that the foregoing demand for lodging facilities in Guyana will increase.
In preparation for this growing demand, several other hotels are poised to come on stream. They include a GY$18 billion (US$90 million) Hilton Garden Inn at Houston/Mc Doom (East Bank Demerara), a Delta Hotels Marriott near the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, an H-Towers luxury hotel in New Providence (on the East Bank), and a SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western (in the city center).
Guyana removes cement tax to facilitate oil-driven construction boom | OilNOW
In 2021, a sod-turning ceremony occurred at a Providence, East Bank Demerara site which is earmarked for the construction of a US$32 million Hyatt Place Georgetown hotel.
The project which adds to a long line of hotels coming to the new oil-producing South American country to meet growing demand is spearheaded by SIR Investments Inc., an investor from Trinidad and Tobago.