Two new Kitty hotels to add 65 rooms for CWC
Stabroek News
January 15, 2007
Two new hotels currently under construction in the Kitty area are expected to be completed in time to help meet accommodation needs for Cricket World Cup 2007.
Mikel's Plaza on Pere Street, Kitty is a 40-room facility while Ocean Spray on Vlissengen Road (closer to the Kitty Seawall), is a 25-room hotel.
Meanwhile, the Casique Suites and Banqueting Halls, which is also scheduled for completion in time for the CWC Super Eight matches to accommodate media and sponsors, is running a series of advertisement urgently seeking carpenters, masons and labourers.
Stabroek News has made several telephone calls to contact the owners of the Casique, which is located next to the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara, but has been unsuccessful to date.
Proprietrix of Mikel's Plaza Amanda Hoosein said she and her husband Vic Puran began construction of the two-building Mikel's Plaza three years ago with the objective of creating apartment buildings.
However, with the call to provide accommodation for visitors to the country for the CWC, they opted to work towards the completion of the project in time for the world's third largest sporting event which gets underway in the Caribbean from March 5 with the warm-up matches in other host venues and in Guyana from March 28.
Being built at a cost of $200 million, Hoosein said the construction has lasted as long as it has because of the problem of financing. "Really it has been a nightmare securing financing," she said adding, "it was an act of faith getting it to this stage."
At present, work on the hotel is 85% complete but she is confident that it will be ready for World Cup. Fittings and furniture have already been ordered and the training of staff is ongoing in conjunction with the ICC CWC 2007 Local Organising Committee. The LOC, she noted has been encouraging and officials have been visiting regularly.
Hoosein said all the rooms would be self-contained and would comfortably accommodate two persons. Already they have begun to receive bookings but this is mainly through their own network of friends. They are to create a website within a few weeks time to promote the facility.
Ocean Spray being built by businessman Shameer Mohamed offers a view of the Atlantic Ocean. Mohamed declined to divulge the sum he has spent to date, but said it was expensive.
Ocean Spray is another two-building facility, which Mohamed said is being constructed to international standards and will be completed in time for the CWC.
Of construction, he said "though not round the clock, exactly, we are working almost 24 hours."
Mohamed who already runs a business said he has begun training staff for the hotel.
He said he has no choice but to keep them on the payroll until the hotel opens.
Though he has not begun advertising, he said several enquiries have been made and the hotel is working closely with the CWC 2007 LOC, which he said has been very supportive.
Among the other new facilities expected to be in operation for the CWC 2007 Super Eight matches are Sleep Inn International in Brickdam, Atlantic Inn and Tours in Subryanville, Imataka on Regent Street opposite City Hall, Tropical View in Campbell Avenue, O&A Suites (Gafoors) in Cummings-lodge, Kanuku Suites in Kitty and Buddy's International Hotel at Providence. (Miranda La Rose)