US$20 million Courtyard by Marriott to be ready for August opening

– creates jobs for some 100 persons

At least 100 persons are expected to be employed at the US$20 million Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, which is preparing to open its doors in August – just a few months’ away. Located near the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at Timehri, the six-storey hotel will have 150 rooms including five executive suites along with other modern amenities for which the world-renowned Marriott brand is known. It is being built by Cardinal Investments Inc on a 2.5 acres Government leased land and will be Guyana’s first major airport hotel, which will target airline crew, diplomats, business travellers and transit guests.
On Saturday, a job fair was held to fill key positions within the hotel’s various departments including kitchen, housekeeping, reception, security, events-planning, administrative, maintenance and others.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cardinal Investments Inc, Roy Bassoo, told the Guyana Times that the turnout at the job fair was overwhelming.
“We were actually shocked with the turnout we got. We had a turnout of close to 225 persons who showed up for the vacancies that are available at the hotel. From that 225, we will start the selecting process for close to 100 staff for the hotel,” he noted. Already, a General Manager along with senior Human Resource Manager have been selected and they would be leading the staffing process which includes shortlisting the applicants and conducting interviews.
With the hiring process off the ground, the hotel is also embarking on sourcing suppliers especially for fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables for the kitchen.
According to Bassoo, working with locals is priority for the hotel.
“We’ve already started to speak to the local farmers. My plan is to engage local communities and farmers to improve their earnings,” he stated.

August opening
All of these arrangements are being finalised ahead of to the Courtyard by Marriott’s grand opening, likely in August.
“We’re close to completion and opening [which will be] sometime in August,” Bassoo told this publication.
Currently, finishing touches are being executed to meet that deadline. These include testing facilities like lighting fixtures, and outfitting areas like the kitchen and gym with world-class equipment – some of which are being shipped here.
The 150-room Courtyard hotel will feature a modern gym, a bistro restaurant and bar, a banquet hall to fit 250 persons, a pool and an executive conference room.
“It’s ideal for events and even executive or board meetings… Executives can come in at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and have meetings with officials here, who will just have to travel up [to Timehri], and they can even stay there for a few days with all the facilities being there at their disposal,” Bassoo explained.
This, he pointed out, would be ideal given the current construction works are underway along the East Bank Demerara (EBD) Road – the main corridor linking to the country’s main port of entry, the CJIA. The road is being expanded from a two-lane to four-lane highway.
While the ongoing works have been causing frustrating disruptions to the travelling public, especially persons heading to the airport – some of whom have even missed their flights due to traffic congestion, the businessman believes that once completed, the new EBD roadway will significantly reduce travel time to the CJIA.
Nevertheless, the construction of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel has not been without challenges – the major being the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the global supply chain, which not only saw massive delays in shipments of building materials but increased freight charges.

Ideal investment opportunities
Locally, the issues encountered were minimal and according to Bassoo, this was as a direct result of the systems that were put in place by the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration to foster local investments.
“The Government has created an ideal opportunity for these investments… All the systems that the Government put in place to help the investors, those worked good for us and fit right in… From Go-Invest (Guyana Office for Investment), GPL (Guyana Power and Light) to the Ministries and all the other agencies – all the Government machinery worked so it was easy for us,” the CEO declared.

The Dr Irfaan Ali-led Government had announced certain initiatives to encourage investments in the hotel industry to fill the high-accommodation demand that existed when the current administration took office nearly five years ago.
Construction is not a new area for Bassoo, whose company – R. Bassoo & Sons Construction has been one of the country’s leading construction firms for nearly 30 years. Cardinal Investments Inc. is a special purpose company created by the businessman to secure the licence to construct the hotel.
Over the past three decades, Bassoo’s construction company has worked major projects in Guyana including for international agencies such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the World Bank. It has also constructed Government buildings such as schools, hospitals and police station as well as road projects. But according to the businessman, this hotel project was much more complex.
“Those other projects are not as distinct as the hotel where there are so many finishes and thousands of items that had to put in place for this hotel, from the cutlery to the outfitting of the rooms with the beds, lamps, refrigerator, carpets, ornaments, fire alarm system, water supply, backup generator system [etc]. So, it’s a totally different project than a normal school or road project.”
“This Marriott will be one of the 21st century Courtyard Marriott that is equipped with solar systems for the hot water. It’s part of a green project as well in keeping with the Government’s [energy transition] initiative,” he added.
The Courtyard Hotel was designed in accordance with the Marriott brand’s international standards. The design and model rooms had to be approved by Marriott as well as the architect.
“So, six or seven months ago, we would’ve completed the model room… Currently, 75 per cent of the rooms have been furnished and we’re now waiting on a few of the furnishings to come in to wrap that up,” Bassoo stated.
Last October, President Dr Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister, Brigadier Ret’d Mark Phillips, were given a tour of the hotel and were impressed with the progress and quality of work done.