….says Dr. Luncheon
THE Marriott Hotel, scheduled to open here in 2013, is likely to be the “benchmark of excellence” in the hotel industry, Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon said yesterday. Speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet briefing at the Office of the President, Luncheon said the hotel chain is designed to ‘provide excellence in service.’
“And I’m sure you will agree that you either have to pay for it, or you regret that you didn’t pay for it.”
Construction of the US$51M hotel is expected to begin shortly and a sod-turning ceremony was held at the site in Kingston last Saturday, with President Bharrat Jagdeo, along with Marriott and other government functionaries in attendance.
According to the president, the hotel, expected to provide ‘world-class accommodation and services’, should become functional by 2013.
The new hotel will boast 197 rooms, with a large ballroom, a conference centre, a 14,000 square foot casino, a 6,400 square foot night club, and an 8,300 square foot restaurant.
Marriott’s Area Vice President, Andrew Houghton, at the sod-turning ceremony, said Guyana now represents the 72nd country in the world with the hotel brand. According to him, it also represents 3,600 hotels in the world, with 23 brands, and employs some 129,000 associates.