By Svetlana Marshall

THE hotel industry in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), reached new heights over the weekend when 57-year-old Ramcharan Boodhoo returned home to open the multi-million-dollar Palm Spring Hotel on Third Avenue, rating it the best in the business.This spanking new 22-room hotel boasts a presidential suite, single and double-rooms, a pool, a fast food restaurant, a soundproof club, and a bar and grille in addition to a kiddie’s corner.

“It is a classic hotel, one of international standards,” Boodhoo told the Guyana Chronicle. A native Bartician, he has been living in Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, for the past 15 years while managing a grocery store in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

In June 2013, Boodhoo, with the support of his reputed wife Rehana Rahim, returned to Bartica to make his contribution to the development of his hometown.
“Back then we laid the foundation, and ever since it has been a work in progress,” he said.

Now that the more than two-year project has materialised into a beautiful work of art, the businessman said, he is ready to meet the demands not only of Barticians, but Guyanese from all walks of life, and tourists who are in search of a luxury hotel that is “beyond their dreams but within their reach”.

His reputed wife has said that though the investment is one of great significance, they did it for their country.

“This is a really big investment for us; it is a long-term investment, but we did it for our country,” Rahim declared. She noted that the hotel will be a great boost to the local tourism sector.

Rahim, who has been Boodhoo’s reputed wife for 21 years, played a critical role from conceptualisation to materialization of the hotel.

“Every step of the way I was right next to him. We did the design ourselves, we bought the materials together, and now we will manage it together,” she declared.

FULLY BOOKED
Even before its grand opening on Saturday, Palm Spring was fully booked for the Easter weekend.

“It is just day two and we don’t have enough rooms to accommodate all of the persons that have been calling,” Kamal Persaud told this newspaper.

Persaud, who is the elected Deputy Mayor in waiting, is a close relative of Boodhoo and Rahim. “I guess they would have heard about the high standards we have at Palm Spring, so it is just their way of trying to cash in on an unforgettable experience,” Persaud said, as she alluded to the growing customer base.

“Palm Spring is a hotel of international standards. Everything in the hotel was imported from North America,” she said proudly.

Currently, 20 persons are employed at the hotel, but eight more persons are likely to be employed soon.

Amidst scores of people, and in the presence of Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, Region Seven Chairman Gordon Bradford and Mayor-elect Gifford Marshall, Palm Spring officially opened its doors to the public, in keeping with the catchline: “Beyond your dream, within your reach”.