The Zoom Inn Hotel, located at 109 Croal Street, Georgetown is on the market, only a year and a half after it was opened to business during the Cricket World Cup hype with high expectations.
It is believed that the sale is a result of poor occupancy.
According to an advertisement in the Guyana Times, bids are being invited from persons interested in purchasing the property.
The ad, which says ‘For sale by bids’ says the hotel is located at a prime spot in Central Georgetown and describes it as a four-storey building with 30 air-conditioned single and double rooms equipped with television, mini-bar, telephone, wireless internet, restaurant/ bar and conference area.
Bidders are asked to contact the hotel’s co-owner Bibi Singh at the business place, Japarts at 38 Croal Street, Stabroek or on telephone 225-1831.
Stabroek News sought an interview with the owners of the hotel but was directed to an employee of Japarts who told this newspaper that the reasons for the sale of the hotel were confidential. His brief remarks were, “We want no story on the hotel.”
The Zoom Inn hotel was officially opened by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds on March 24, 2007.
President Bharrat Jagdeo who toured the facility in April 2007 said he was impressed with what he had seen.
During the CWC, GINA reported that based on Zoom Inn’s marketing strategy the hotel secured 75 percent occupancy and shortly after, it enjoyed a 40 per cent occupancy rate. Since then Stabroek News learnt that the occupancy rate dropped even lower, which is one of the current problems facing the country’s hospitality industry on the whole.
During the President’s visit to the hotel, Tourism Minister Manniram Prashad, who accompanied Jagdeo had revealed that his ministry was planning to host a special conference for those in the accommodation sector, which co-owner Terry Singh had said was an initiative that would give a boost to those in the accommodation business.
One source close to the Zoom Inn Hotel told this newspaper that the current poor occupancy rate, which is also related to marketing, is one of the big problems facing the hotel while other problems were related to the high rate of staff turnover, maintaining committed staff and providing reliable services.
These problems, the source said, were now posing challenges to the owners who underestimated the level of resources that had to be spent to maintain quality customer care when the tourism and hospitality industry was in a slump. “Rather than reducing the quality of service, they prefer to sell it,” the source said.
Zoom Inn was one of several hotels which sprung up during the Cricket World Cup 2007.
It has joined Buddy’s International Hotel in seeking new owners. Buddy’s, which was built for Cricket World Cup 2007 has since been sold by businessman Omprakash Shivraj. It is expected to be handed over to the new owners next month.
A structure, which was being built for CWC 2007, the Casique Palace, Suites and Banqueting Hall, is still incomplete and was also recently advertised for sale.
Several businesses in Guyana are like mushrooms, sprung up today , gone tomorrow. Lack of vision on both the govt. and private sector. The reality is, Guyana is not ready for tourism and looks like it never will be ready. Poor infrastructure and similar non maintenance leads to a ramshackle environment. . Management is poor and day to day existence speaks of no long term plans.
why guyanese are followers and cant think for themselves, as soon they see someone open a business they all follow without thinking of the consequences.
guyana has limited potentials because of its small population and many dont take that into consideration.
most will go belly up.
You said it FREESPEECH, !! SMALL POPULATION!!
The next thing I would add is VERY POOR AND CORUPT GOVERNANCE.
I know this hotel, accommodating staff, very nice room service for the price offered.
What a shame all these business going under, because of lack of foresight by the country to attract business through the tourism industry, and also bad planning. I guess after cwc events all business got sour, and business couldnt maintain a steady business flow. I hope these business doesnt become white elephants.
hope we dont end up like USA. the US government can bail out wall street. not sure the guyana government can bail anyone out
Here again we see the lack of vision by the ministry of tourism, which practically does nothing, but talk and talk.
The hospitality industry can not progress if there are lack of international air transportation. This administration kill all its local Airlines – Universal and Travelspan through none cooperation and hard measures that further hence the closure and suspention of the services.
Air transportation is the flywheeel especially to the tourism industry and it is the main engine for the development – without move of people, goods and services there will be no development in any regards. This ministry of tourism lack this basic concept. Take for instance BWIA now Caribbean Airlines, the Government of Trinidad will never allow it to fold, because it act as a regulator for all other foriegn airlines that flies into Trinidad and the Caribbean. This administration think foriegn airlines will benifit and do justice to the industry and they will cooperate with outsiders rather than thier own.
For example, when Universal Airlines was in the Market, there main interest was Guyana and Guyanese and this give North American and BWIA then to pull thier acts together – we see Universal was acting as the regulator body and also later Travelspan later on.
Look what has happen after the down fall of these two local airlines – high fares, no respect for Guyanese travellers, poor services, extentive delays at connecting airports. One New York resident said he cannot afford to take his family for christmas in Guyana – which badly wanted to do for a longtime now, because it will cause him $1500.00 x 4 = $6000.00 for airfare, clothing and supplies for his family to travel (new shoes etc..) minimum $300.00 per person x4 = $1200.00, gifts and other token for relatives and friendly atleast another $500.00, spending money for each minimum $200.00 x4 = $800.00, not including bribe and other tips etc.. when in Guyana. So your are looking at an average of $9,000.00 for a two weeks visit to Guyana in comparing if he goes on a cruise with five port of call ( visiting five countries) will cost him maximum $600.00 per person = $2400.00 and than includes transportation, accommodation, unlimited dinning, entertainment etc…
The man further said that Guyana trip is like putting a down payment on a property, which might be better since it real and tangiable.
He further said that he can now afford three vacations per year and still have change left, so what kind of maths and other reasoning the GTA, ministry and government personnel have, which a 10 yr old can reason that out.
Reccommendation – Change the entire Tourism ministry and its affiliate bodies from top to bottom. These people believed they know it all and they hust shooting froff all the time – how nice is Guyana now, Kaiteur falls, flora and fuana etc.. these are all words. If there is no means of getting people there, then it is no use froffing about it. Kaiteur, St Georges and other tourist areas will still be there.
Thank you
All those hotels that were built for the Work Cup should be converted to rental apartments. Guyana is a lawless country and would not atttact tourists. There is nothing to showcase in Guyana except the Kaieteur Falls and there are many other water falls around the world.
No vision in the private sector, just following propaganda blindly.
Neither the PPP and PNC administrations have shown any serious committment and substantial support to the tourism sector.
In fact, the above parties collaborated in undemocratic governance, particularly, during the era of ‘ anti-imperialism/socialism ‘, which was characterised by the severe repression of the private sector, including the tourism industry.
A climate and culture of political corruption, extra judicial killings, violations and subversion of the rule of law by both state and non state actors, mismanagement and corruption, lack of transparency and accountability in governance, attempts to repress the press, deteriorated physical and social infrastructure, especially in Georgetown etc; are glaring disincentives to the growth and development of the tourism industry.
An environment which engenders fear and insecurity, is a deterrent not only to the tourism sector but also to national development.
Editor,
First line; should correctly read ‘ Neither the PPP or PNC ‘. The word ‘and’ should be replaced by ‘or’.
Thank you.
CORRECTION TO YOU….”NEITHER THE PPP OR THE PNC” SHOULD READ “NEITHER THE PPP NOR THE PNC”……………..(either..OR…….neither..NOR) MORE GRAMMAR PRACTICE NEEDED…..
I call for early elections of a new government, by a new party. Not the same crap we have endured since 1966.
We need fresh minds with new ideas to form a proactive and inovative government that will work for the people.
I have held the following view for many years now. There is no elected Guyanese leader in my lifetime (I’m 53) who could conceptualise a holistic plan for the development of Guyana that would succeed! Why? All of these leaders have held a national world view that does not extend beyond the five mile or so coastal strip that stretches from Charity on the Essequibo Coast to Crabwood Creek in the Corentyne, about ten percent of the land space of Guyana. How could anyone realistically lead a country with any chance of success when they are not knowledgeable of that country at the most basic level of how much physical space it possesses and what is contained therein? This would be akin to a tailor sewing a suit without having set eyes on, or knowing the vital statistics of the client for whom he was doing the job! His task would be doomed to failure even before he started.