Digicel and Marriott International recently broke ground on the $45 million 175-room Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand hotel in the Turgeau area of Port-au-Prince, with an opening expected in early 2015, making it the first four-star branded hotel in Haiti.
At a ceremony to mark the occasion, Marriott International’s President and Chief Executive Officer Arne Sorensen was joined by Digicel Chairman and Founder Denis O’Brien as well as the the Minister of Tourism Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin.
Digicel Group is responsible for designing and building the hotel and chose Marriott International’s signature Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand as its operating partner under a long-term management agreement. In addition to creating more than 200 new hospitality jobs in Haiti, Marriott will invest in workforce training to benefit the country’s tourism sector.
The hotel sets a new standard of excellence for the growing number of business travelers coming to Haiti, combining a friendly, professional and safe environment and offering the exceptional service that Marriott International offers worldwide in all of its properties. The hotel is especially suitable for business meetings, conferences and events and will feature the most up-to-date facilities in the city. The ballroom will comfortably accommodate around 380 people for dining and around 500 theatre-style.
The 175-room Marriott Hotel Port Au Prince will include five suites, a casual restaurant with private dining area, fitness center, swimming pool and a great room lobby that inspires creativity, productivity and social interaction with its conveniently dispersed zones including a bar and lounge. The property will also have a gift shop and marketplace and will offer guests 24 hour room service, WiFi and secure parking.
Marriott International meanwhile aspires to have a signature hotel in every major capital city in the countries where it operates while being instrumental in stimulating business and attracting leisure visitors to Haiti. Marriott took on this project with particular reference to its thousands of Haitian associates who work in its U.S. hotels and urged the company to do what it did best and open a hotel in Haiti. Marriott will also use the Port-au-Prince location as a center for hotel training for local staff, helping to ensure that international standards of excellence are met and maintained.
“We saw the need for a leading hotel brand in Haiti to accommodate the wave of travelers coming to do business in the country," said Arne Sorenson, president and CEO at Marriott International, in a written statement. “We believe we can make a difference in Haiti by creating jobs and developing the human talent that can help lift this country over time back to its rightful place as one of the top destinations in the Caribbean. We are working with the Ministers of Tourism and Vocational Education on how we can support existing institutions to raise the quality of hospitality training.”
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