By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE new Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort, formerly the Palace Hotel, will hold a soft opening on Thursday, April 12.
The Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort has been currently undergoing a $40 million renovation transforming it to an upscale five and half star resort.
The hotel’s grand opening is set for April 20, 2007.
The hotel will be comprised of 311 rooms consisting of 84 suites, with 33 of the suites furnished with private Jacuzzis on their balconies. According to the Sheraton Laguna, this is a first for any hotel in Guam.
According to Christine Restuvog, communications officer of the hotel, the Sheraton Laguna will also set precedence in being a technologically advanced hotel offering 32" flat screen televisions, with DVD players standard in all rooms.
The hotel will also be going "poster less," utilizing plasma display panel televisions to showcase its first-class services and facilities.
The Sheraton will also have two restaurants --- The President and La Cascata.
The President will be a fine dining Japanese restaurant featuring authentic Japanese cuisine, private teppanyaki rooms with a personal chef and the most extensive wine, sake and "shochu" selection in Guam.
La Cascata, on the other hand, will be an international dining restaurant featuring an array of buffets and a magnificent picturesque view of the hotel’s tropical lagoon.
According to Restuvog, the hotel’s Point lobby lounge and Atrio bar will be refreshing options to lounge and bar goers.
The Point will be a classy and elegant lounge featuring Starbucks coffee, the best quality tea and Wines of the World, Sheraton’s signature wine collection, while The Atrio will be Sheraton’s hip and trendy bar featuring live music and billiard tables for entertainment.
Restuvog said the hotel will be offering state-of-the-art amenities and facilities that the island and its guests have yet to experience.
It was last August when Premier Hotels & Resorts Guam announced the franchise agreement with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide for the Guam Palace Hotel, which would undergo renovations and then re-flagged as Sheraton Laguna Guam starting April of this year.
Premier Hotel & Resort Guam is a local company controlled by the Japanese real estate firm Ken Corporation.
The Tokyo-based Ken Corporation, which purchased the Palace hotel earlier this year, chose Starwood in line with its desire to transform the 400-room Palace into a luxury 5-star hotel carrying a well-known, internationally known brand.
The Starwood group is one of the world’s largest hotel and leisure companies operating under the Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, and St. Regis brands.
The group’s Sheraton Hotels & Resorts brand is the company’s largest, serving the needs of upscale business and leisure travelers worldwide. From full-service hotels in major cities to luxurious resorts by the water, Sheraton can be found in the most sought-after cities and resort destinations around the world.