Marriott Hotel defies odds to open doors this week …VIPs, Executives, President carded for grand ceremony

THE proverbial final countdown is on, since in a matter of days Guyana will open the doors to the first ever internationally branded Marriott Hotel—the realisation of one of Government’s flagship development projects—accomplished Opposition in cohort with a pliable media. 

The Marriott Hotel will be officially declared opened on Thursday, by Head of State, Donald Ramotar, after which there will be a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.

The Guyana Chronicle understands a number of Marriott executives and VIPs are carded to arrive for the grand opening ceremony.
Conceived during the mid-2000s, the project will serve as a catalyst for the evolving Tourism Industry, now seen as another pillar of the modern Guyana Economy.

PRESSURE TEST
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle ahead of Thursday’s opening, the Marriott General Manager, Mr. Roberto Grissi said he is very confident, more-so in the staff that has been trained.

He recalled that one of the key challenges faced was employment. According to Grissi, the majority of the more than 3,000 persons interviewed did not have any experience in the hospitality industry neither were they qualified in the field.
A decision, he said, was taken to employ and train the young Guyanese—a decision which now bears validation.

Ahead of this week’s grandeur opening, Grissi told the Guyana Chronicle that already the facility was put through what is called a “pressure test.”
Some 100 of the hotel’s rooms were put into full operation, utilising the trained staff to test the facility. He said a similar test is slated to be conducted last evening.

PREPARATION
The 10-storey edifice which sits on seven acres of ocean-front property was a hive of activity yesterday.
Employees from Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) and a number of local sub-contractors in addition to the more than 220 being trained in anticipation of the hotel’s opening this week were all engaged in some aspect of preparation.

All perimeter lights have been installed with a number of testings being undertaken yesterday. Employees were observed by the droves cleaning, polishing and putting final touches to some of the intricate designs ornately adorning the building.

This includes the golden rotund rigs float on the ceiling of the lobby hovering above the uncontaminated pearl-white petals that seem to make their virtual ascension downwards to their life-preserving translucent visitors.
At nights, the petals are illuminated to provide a sublime, nocturnal terrestrial ambience.

GREAT ROOM
With the Marriott sign-age and lighting in place, a visitor to the facility is greeted in the lobby by the expansive Great Room in the yonder.
Envisioned as one of the social hubs of the facility, the Great Room has as its backdrop the Atlantic Ocean behind the massive pool area, complete with the accompanying Caribe Boardwalk.

A huge international bar beckons in plain view in the Great Room, promising drinks of a higher quality and flair from around the world.
Boasting the largest and most elite of its kind in the country, the hotel’s general manager was quick to point out that in addition to the Presidential Suite, Family Suites or Standard Rooms, guests of the hotel have at their disposal the State-of-the-art Fitness Centre, again with the accompanying ambience of the Atlantic Ocean, Conference Rooms, Pool Facilities and a number of dining restaurants.

TECHNOLOGY
Technology is a big feature of the Marriott Hotel, according to Grissi. The hotel features a number of digital display screens across the property and according to the general manager, these will be used to complement a varying number of services right down to advertising promotional activities at the facility.

Even the television experience has been customised by Marriott. All feeds have been consolidated before being bunched and delivered to its customers. In addition, each television in each room of the Marriott Hotel is programmed to interact with guests, again making all services and facilities, available at the touch of a button.

Key cards for hotels and digital orders may be a common feature of hotels across the world, but when The Marriott opens its doors in Guyana checking in, checking out and ordering most any service available, could be made using your cell phone. Yes, there is an app for that too.

LOCAL CULTURE
As the facility prepares to open its doors, the hotel’s general manager, also used the opportunity to disclose that The Marriott is looking to fully immerse the facility into Guyana’s culture.
Apart from the large conference rooms which have been named after Guyanese landmarks such as the Mazaruni and Potaro, Guyanese artworks are on display throughout the facility—even in the Executive Lounge alongside a strong brew of coffee and truffles.
According to Grissi, in the future, The Marriott will be looking to host art exhibitions at its facilities for local sculptors and artists.
He said too that another aspect of Guyanese culture that will be incorporated into The Marriott experience is music.
Grissi told this publication that already a number of local performers have been auditioned and Marriott is actively looking to see how they will be incorporated into the live entertainment routine.

PARTNERS
The Marriott, he said, has also been looking to partner with local farmers and producers where all of its supplies, in terms of food, can be sourced locally.

According to Grissi, seafood and meat such as pork and beef, whatever can be sourced locally will be a priority.
The general manager said too, in future the hotel will be looking to supply farmers with the seeds of what it will require, but is not grown locally. This, he said, would allow The Marriott to inherently aid in the creation of new local industries for Guyanese, while at the same time addressing its needs.

The Marriott, he said too, is also taking its corporate social responsibilities seriously. According to Grissi, while the hotel will not just hand out cash grants hoping it would be spent getting some value, the hotel itself will take on projects.
According to Grissi, very shortly The Marriott will be looking to have some work done at a local orphanage as part of its Community Outreach.

STAFF PREPARED
There are currently 221 staff employed with The Marriott Hotel, each having received just about 300 hours of training thus far and according to Grissi, by the time the Entertainment Complex comes on stream the hotel will employ another 250 persons.
In recent months, he said that close to 100 additional staffers were recruited daily, but this was primarily to forge ahead with the finishing of the construction of the hotel.

Perfectly blended into the serene background that is Guyana’s tropical, turquoise-blue skyline dotted with puffs of white, floating cotton cumulus, visitors and guests are greeted at the entrance of this edifice with a palm-lined driveway with parking on the seven- acre property expected to cater for at least 200 vehicles.

Workers were up to late last evening abuzz, transforming the beachfront into a picturesque tropical experience through landscaping.
The Marriott, this publication was told, will be targeting primarily the business clientele and according to Grissi, the facility has already been booked to host an event to cater for about three hundred persons.
This, he said, is in addition to the numerous bookings already confirmed for this week when the hotel officially opens its doors.
By Gary Eleazar