The homely luxury of the El Dorado Inn
Stabroek News
March 24, 2007
Francia Da Silva symbolizes a hoped-for new generation of hotel proprietors whose sense of good taste, high standards and awareness of small details lends her charge a distinct competitive edge and provides more than a measure of hope that the local accommodation sector can measure up to the exacting standards of international travellers.
Francia is the General Manager of The El Dorado Inn, a pristine new hotel owned by her father Frank Da Silva, a United States-based Guyanese. Situated on the quiet corner of Thomas and Quamina streets in central Georgetown the El Dorado combines the convenience of urban hotel accommodation with the quiet of a traditionally residential neighborhood which, up until now, has been spared the kind of transformation that has affected most of the capital. The El Dorado Inn is in good company. Its neighbours include the Cara Lodge, the Venezuelan Embassy and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Far from being a routine tourist facility the El Dorado is a quiet, "unfussy" haven which, its general manager says, has, even without the benefit of aggressive advertising, made its mark among diplomatic missions and international organizations resident in Guyana and with "business types" seeking hotel accommodation that provides high standards rather than high profiles. And while she concedes that the El Dorado is "fully booked" for the Cricket World Cup (CWC) she makes the point that her guests are mostly journalists and filmmakers. Throngs of tourists are not really her "thing."
Not that she is unmindful of the importance of the CWC to the local hotel industry. "Of course we welcome the event and what it will do for the hotel industry in Guyana as a whole. On the other hand the El Dorado Inn was not built with the World Cup in mind. "Our focus is on longer term, sustained occupancy that targets the corporate community and regional and international business travellers. We think of ourselves as a home rather than a hotel", she says.
In truth, the El Dorado has the distinctive touches of a luxury inn rather than the "feel" of a conventional hotel. Its attractive external edifice conceals a modest, carefully furnished reception area. There is no sprawling, neon-lit bar. Quiet, it appears, is a rule of thumb.
You would think that the interior of the El Dorado Inn could accommodate more than its 8 rooms and splendid luxury suite. Francia says, however, that she has no taste for the cramped spaces and narrow corridors that are a characteristic of many conventional hotels. She has opted instead, for a facility that favours open spaces, "uncramped" rooms and a wide, attractive staircase. Those, she says, are among the characteristics that appeal to guests seeking a home away from home.
Francia brings to her new job earlier experiences in the tourism sector including a stint in sales and marketing at Evergreen Tours. She says that both the number of rooms at the El Dorado Inn and the hotel's preferred clientele are functions of deliberate choices. "Fewer rooms mean less space to manage and less guests to cater for. That way we can offer higher standards. As for our guests, most of them are business people and professionals on assignment in Guyana. Since they spend the entire day away from the hotel our running costs, including electricity costs, are lower. What our guests really want is a homely atmosphere at the end of their work day and that is what the El Dorado Inn seeks to provide."
"Homes" they may be but the guest rooms at the El Dorado Inn are splendid homes. Tastefully furnished rooms boast four poster beds "decorated" with layers of attractive linen. Each room boasts small collections of pleasant, framed pictures and the entire hotel is sprinkled with clutches of decorative artefacts, acquired by the hotel's owner whose tastes, Francia says, have influenced the El Dorado's décor considerably.
The El Dorado's Luxury Suite is a magnificent apartment that reminds, in every detail, of a showpiece from a luxury homes periodical. Its furnishings are a mix of plush, imported sofas and locally produced spring-filled mattresses set on finely carved four poster beds. Old-fashioned ceiling fans provide an antiquated contrast to what is otherwise a room filled with contemporary luxuries. Tucked away in the generous comforts of the El Dorado's Luxury Suite you can easily transport yourself to another place.
Breakfast is the favoured meal at the Inn. The facility offers its guests a lavish range of local dishes. "We spare ourselves no pain with breakfast," Francia says.
Since opening its doors last November the El Dorado has been favoured by guests who seek the taste and comfort of an "up market" hotel while craving the quiet that larger facilities do not provide. Francia says that the focus of the El Dorado is on providing its guests with just the kind of comforting privacy that would cause them to see the El Dorado as a heart-warming experience rather than just a stay at another hotel.