The sod has been turned for Superior Hotels Limited to begin construction of a Marriott-branded hotel at Rocky Point in Tobago.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, along with Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, joined Superior Hotels Chairman John Aboud for the sod-turning ceremony on Tuesday evening.
The hotel, which is expected to come on stream in two and a half years, is being built at an estimated cost of TT$540 million.
When completed, it will feature luxury accommodations, conference facilities and a wide range of amenities.
The project is being privately financed by Superior Hotels through IDB Invest, an investment welcomed by Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar.
“Projected annual resort revenue of US$19 million combined with benchmarks of roughly $2 spent outside for every dollar spent on a room, which will point to about 30 to 40 million US dollars, TT 200-275 million dollars in annual visitor spending.”
Superior Hotels has an agreement with the Government to utilise the land for hotel development.
The Marriott-branded hotel forms part of a wider development at Rocky Point, which will include 67 residential units comprising bungalows, villas and duplexes. However, the proposed development has raised environmental concerns, as the area is a turtle-nesting site, a surfing haven and home to historical ruins.
Mr Aboud assured that Superior Hotels would follow all environmental guidelines.
“This very concern, in fact, raised, we proposed to use to our advantage, such as the surfing, turtle watching, and even the remnants of Fort Monck.”
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine also assured that the Tobago House of Assembly would not have supported the project if it did not meet environmental best practices. He also guaranteed that public access to the beach would be maintained.
“I have made it clear the THA is not supporting any private beach. So the assurance is that there will remain public access. We also got as an assurance that there will be no construction on the beach itself. Look at it. Nothing is being built on the beach itself.”
The latest investment has been welcomed by tourism stakeholders.
Alpha Lorde, owner of Mt Irvine Bay Resort and Board Director of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, said, “This is a momentous evening for Tobago. An international brand provides a lot of exposure that we don’t naturally have with our indigenous brands. It doesn’t make our indigenous brands any less, but an international brand does provide the exposure.”
Tobago businesswoman Dianne Hadad said, “I want to really congratulate the Prime Minister and Mr Augustine for allowing this to take place in terms of the support and whatever else was needed.”
President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, Reginald Mc Lean, added, “I will be sticking in their tail to make sure that they follow all what has to be followed to make sure the environment is properly taken care of, and I am looking forward to the day that that hotel could be opened.”
When completed, the hotel is expected to provide between 500 and 800 jobs, along with downstream benefits for taxi drivers, farmers, fishermen and other suppliers.