Haiti hotel rising from the rubble

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Monday August 23, 2010 – A United States-based team of experienced hotel operators, designers and architects have come together to help a family in Haiti rebuild a 30-year-old hotel that was destroyed in the January 12th earthquake.

NEF & JM Associates and Adache Group Architects will be on the job to make Hotel Villa St Louis the first hotel in Port-au-Prince to reopen its doors after the destruction caused by the quake. An opening date is set for early 2012.

And based on the plans for the new development, it will be bigger and better than before. The hotel originally consisted of 60 guestrooms and suites but the proposed new development calls for 78 guestrooms and suites, 22 extended stay studio suites and loft apartments, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, a comprehensive business centre and boutique retail space.

Like the original Hotel Villa St Louis, the new hotel will feature a full-sized restaurant and bar, ample banquet and meeting facilities and a spacious pool. Other modern upgrades will include energy efficient and water saving installations, renewable energy technologies and locally sourced building materials, furniture and décor.

“The new design takes into account Haiti’s beautiful natural resources and surroundings and also pays tribute to the local culture,” explained Daniel Adache, chairman of Adache Group Architects. “At the same time, we have fully modernized the plans for this hotel, utilizing new technologies to conserve two of our most precious resources: energy and time. For this project urgency is key, as the community will greatly rely upon a quick reopening to speed up overall recovery.”

The St Louis family is looking forward to what the new development will bring to the economy and community spirit of Port-au-Prince. It said it would be a leader in the local hospitality industry, providing full-time employment opportunities for many of the currently out-of-work hotel workers.

The design and construction of the new Hotel Villa St Louis will provide 500 to 600 employment opportunities. Local consultants, designers and labor workers will also be given preference. An estimated 100 opportunities for employment will be created by Haitian vendors, suppliers and professional service providers, who will support the construction of the project while additional employment will be created indirectly by purchasing local building materials, artwork and crafts.

Furthermore, during its initial years of operation, the property will create 100 to 120 full-time permanent employment opportunities. Twenty percent of these roles will be management or supervisory positions. Another 30 part-time employment opportunities will also be available for servicing banquets, meetings and other special events. Operations will also lead to an estimated 100 to 200 indirect work opportunities in related hospitality activities.

“The redevelopment of the Hotel Villa St. Louis will deliver sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits, all of which will provide a positive impact on the wider community and region,” explained Nikolas Eastwick-Field of NEF & JM Associates, the new hotel’s development management company.

“This redevelopment will not only create substantial local employment during construction but also provide direct and indirect job opportunities for Haitian nationals in the immediate and long-term future.”

Because of the magnitude of the earthquake’s destruction, Port-au-Prince lost more than 50 percent of its hotel room inventory. Business meetings and conventions have been postponed or moved elsewhere due to the lack of accommodations in the area, resulting in a significant loss of potential income across all industries.

http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/37095.html

Haiti gets first new, big investment since quake

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Wednesday September 15, 2010 – A US$33 million project for Haiti’s first airport hotel is to break ground by the end of this year and be completed by mid-2012. It will mark the first new major investment for the country since the January 12th earthquake.

Argentine entrepreneur Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster, President and CEO of Basic Energy Ltd, as well as other diversified entities and the Haiti-based WIN Group – one of the country’s largest enterprises – have announced an agreement to develop the 240-room hotel with conference facilities directly adjacent to Port-Au-Prince’s Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport.

The hotel, which is yet to be named, will be independently operated.

“This is such an important project on so many levels,” said WIN Group Managing Partner Youri Mevs.

“Not only will it provide badly-needed hotel and conference facilities, but will employ hundreds of local workers in desperate need of generating revenue to support themselves and their families.”

The project will be developed on a 5.3 acre parcel of land and will be completely self-contained, with on-site power plant, water treatment, sewage, and related facilities.

The seven-story property, which is being designed by OBM International, will feature full conference facilities with capacity to accommodate up to 400 individuals for a single event. It will also include numerous break-out rooms, expanded food and beverage outlets, work-out center, swimming pool, spa facilities and lounges, all within lush, tropical landscaping, and will be built to meet or exceed all international earthquake standards.

“We are pleased with the opportunity to be part of such an integral project,” states Douglas Kulig, CEO of OBM International. “The hotel will be elegant, with a distinct Creole feel, as well as provide an all-inclusive element for its guests from the moment they pass through the property’s entry-gate.”

UN Special Envoy to Haiti and co-chair of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission, Bill Clinton, said the venture is one example that the numerous facets needed to rebuild Port Au Prince are slowly getting under way.

http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/40105.html