{"id":26882,"date":"2023-03-16T23:13:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T04:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=26882"},"modified":"2023-03-16T19:17:47","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T00:17:47","slug":"new-hotel-stays-shut-for-next-six-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/new-hotel-stays-shut-for-next-six-months\/","title":{"rendered":"New hotel stays shut for next six months"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trinidad and Tobago<\/p>\n

After having spent $27 million of taxpayers\u2019 dollars on the newly refurbished 24-room Manta Lodge Hotel comes word it will remain shut for another six months, while the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) looks for an operator to run the place.<\/p>\n

The 2-star hotel located in Speyside, Tobago was last week Wednesday handed over to the THA by the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) but after years and a lot of controversy over the decision to purchase and refurbish the hotel the Chief Secretary told Express Business a Request for Proposals (RFP) was expected to go out today.<\/p>\n

Augustine explained that the RFP wasn\u2019t sent out during construction because it was difficult to predict a completion date for the project.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cSince coming into office, this is probably the third completion date the THA got from UDeCOTT. The space also had to be ready for a walk-through by potential operators. The hotel is basically turn- key as every room is already furnished and just awaiting the operator\u2019s specific touch\/decorating.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything down to security cameras\/system, full commercial kitchen, dining room furnishings, and outdoor\/patio furniture among others are already in place. It is a turn-key project and so the successful operator won\u2019t have much to do,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

Asked how long he believed it would take between RFP and the award to a private entity, Augustine said a maximum of one month. He denied having conversations with a private entity about taking over the hotel. Augustine said he held no conversations as that would be improper.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an open tender process, which means that everyone and anyone from anywhere in the country or around the globe will have a fair chance to make their pitch and to be considered,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

He noted that the hotel is being pitched to open in time for August (summer tourist season) and well before Tobago\u2019s peak season, which usually starts in October (winter).<\/p>\n

In the interim, Augustine said the THA expects the hotel to be abuzz with tours from potential operators and also during that period, checks for faulty construction work will happen.<\/p>\n

Asked whether he was concerned with the physical integrity as the hotel has been closed since 2015, the Chief Secretary indicated that the period of closure is well within the defects liability period.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurther, the THA went abroad to World Travel Markets and advertised that Manta Lodge will be available to guests from the first quarter of 2016. We are now in the first quarter of 2023. So as far as the integrity of the brand goes, we will have to do some work to re-sell it,\u201d he acknowledged.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the issue, former chief secretary Ancil Dennis said the plan by his administration the People\u2019s National Movement (PNM) when the party was in power, was to hire a professional hotel management company to run the hotel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were looking at a model similar to the HYATT in Trinidad, where the hotel is owned by the Government through UDeCOTT, but it is managed by the HYATT brand, so that was the then-THA\u2019s intention,\u201d Dennis said.<\/p>\n

He is hopeful that the Manta Lodge Hotel can be opened this year and be managed outside of the public service sector.<\/p>\n

more\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image credit:\u00a0 pexels-pixabay-271639<\/em><\/p>\n

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more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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image: pexels-pixabay<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trinidad and Tobago After having spent $27 million of taxpayers\u2019 dollars on the newly refurbished 24-room Manta Lodge Hotel comes word it will remain shut for another six months, while…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":26884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[250],"tags":[171,172,137],"class_list":["post-26882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-hospitality","tag-tourism","tag-trinidad-and-tobago"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pexels-pixabay-271639-scaled-e1679012232326.jpg?fit=1023%2C716&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-6ZA","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24792,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/augustine-defends-309m-infrastructure-contracts\/","url_meta":{"origin":26882,"position":0},"title":"Augustine defends $309m infrastructure contracts","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"October 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinidad and Tobago THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has admitted million-dollar contracts were awarded to Trinidad contractors. At a media conference last Friday, PNM Tobago Council leader and former chief secretary Ancil Dennis produced documents and accused Augustine of hypocrisy. He claimed the PDP administration had approved $309 million to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Architecture-construction-works-David-McBee-Pexels-e1666942806480.jpeg?fit=1024%2C577&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Architecture-construction-works-David-McBee-Pexels-e1666942806480.jpeg?fit=1024%2C577&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Architecture-construction-works-David-McBee-Pexels-e1666942806480.jpeg?fit=1024%2C577&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Architecture-construction-works-David-McBee-Pexels-e1666942806480.jpeg?fit=1024%2C577&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25430,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/chief-sec-private-sector-to-get-contracts-tha-will-pay-later\/","url_meta":{"origin":26882,"position":1},"title":"Chief Sec: Private sector to get contracts, THA will pay later","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"December 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Trinidad and Tobago CHIEF SECRETARY Farley Augustine has said the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) will be relying on public-private partnerships to continue developing the island. At the THA's Mandate Monday briefing, Augustine said the administration is constrained by the limited resources from the national budget. Nonetheless, he said the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10081,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/tobago-airport-rfps-cancelled\/","url_meta":{"origin":26882,"position":2},"title":"Tobago airport RFPs cancelled","author":"Michele Marius","date":"August 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Re\u00adquest for Pro\u00adpos\u00adals (RF\u00adPs) is\u00adsued for the con\u00adstruc\u00adtion of the new ANR Robin\u00adson air\u00adport has been can\u00adcelled. 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