Ogle AC Marriott Hotel to present Environmental Management Plan to EPA

— 150-room hotel to entail access road, other infrastructural works

Trinuyana Investments, which received land from the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) under the previous Administration to construct a Marriott brand hotel, has been granted environmental assessment exemption from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to a notice from the EPA, Trinuyana will be exempted from having to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), although it stressed that the proposed projects were not given the greenlight as yet.
The exemption, according to the agency, is because a screening determined the proposed project will not have any significant effects on the environment.
EPA is allowed this discretion under Section 11 of the Environmental Protection Act Chapter 20:05. The agency further explained that any minor issues that may arise can be addressed through the appropriate environmental safeguards.
In Trinuyana’s case, the company will have to prepare an Environmental Management Plan that will detail these safeguards. According to the EPA, this plan will “address specific issues identified in the screening process and detail specific and practical mitigation measures to ensure that the proposed project can be undertaken in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner.”
According to the project summary, the hotel will be situated on 2.61 acres of land 2.5km south of the Atlantic Ocean and 0.5km east of the Eugene F Correia Airport. While the land, which used to be a sugar cane plantation, is currently undeveloped, Trinuyana plans extensive landscaping and other infrastructural developments.
The project summary further states that the hotel will be five storeys tall, with 150 rooms. Retail stores are among the hotel’s planned features, as well as a courtyard. There will also be paved parking lots with 114 parking spaces, drive aisles and site roads.
“A service road will be constructed in the west and south peripheries of the site. Landscaping is planned in and around the periphery of the site. Areas of land will be modified, and new plants, trees arid grass will be planted to enhance the appearance of the facility,” the summary detailed.
“A new access road will be constructed north of the site. A new bridge will be constructed at the northern end of the access road. The bridge will be constructed over an existing canal and will provide access to the facility,” the summary also stated.
In February of 2020, a sod-turning ceremony was held by Trinuyana at the site earmarked for the Marriott Hotel at Ogle. At the time, NICIL had said that the project would cost US$75 million and that geotechnical works were already underway.
Trinidadian investor John Aboud was behind the project, which NICIL had said would create over 500 jobs during and after construction. As it was one of the projects for which land was signed away just before the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) left office, there had been some uncertainty over whether it would continue.

Hotel investments
If the AC Marriott Ogle goes ahead, it will be one of several hotels that will come on stream over the next few years. Back in March 2021, the sod was turned for a US$15 million boutique hotel under the Aiden brand to be constructed in the heart of Georgetown. The hotel, which would feature 101 “smart rooms”, is being constructed as part of the Best Western Hotel and Resorts franchise.
Globally recognised hotel brands like the Hyatt, Hilton and Radisson hotels have also expressed an interest in investing in Guyana. And in November, the Government of Guyana, through the Tourism and Commerce Ministry and the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with investors for a US$90 million Hilton Hotel to be constructed at McDoom, Greater Georgetown.
The investors in the luxury hotel are part of a joint initiative among 658 Guyana Holdings, GREC Investment Group and TOTALTEC Oilfield Services Guyana Incorporated. It was also announced that the 289-room branded hotel would be constructed in the already busy area which is home to many businesses such as Gafoors, Pritipaul Singh Investment, Guyana Shore Base Inc, Farm Supplies, and Schlumberger. Construction was slated to begin in January 2021 and was expected to last for two years.
Around the same time, Chairman of the Giftland Group, Roy Beepat announced plans to construct a US$100 million Radisson Blu Hotel as part of an international chain of hotels in several destinations around the world. According to Beepat, the agreement has already been finalised to offer this five-star package to Guyana.
Last year, local construction company R Bassoo & Sons Ltd entered into initial agreements with Marriott Hotels International and the Government of Guyana to design and build a Marriott Courtyard – a US$20 million project – at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
This was in response to Government’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for hotels to be constructed in the vicinity of Guyana’s main port of entry. The Marriott Courtyard at the CJIA would be the second Marriott Hotel brand in Guyana, and is anticipated to be open by 2023.