THE Hotel Association of the NMI is pleased that Crowne Plaza Resort is now part of the local hospitality industry.
HANMI president Gloria Cavanagh said they are excited to see a flagship hotel breaking ground on Tuesday at the former Fiesta Resort & Spa.
The only other international hotel brand in the CNMI is the Hyatt Regency Saipan.
Cavanagh said bringing InterContinental Hotels Group’s Crowne Plaza brand to the island is great for the CNMI as it puts the Commonwealth “on the global map and makes us a better destination internationally.”
She added, “I feel very proud to be actually part of the crowd here tonight.” The general manager of Pacific Islands Club, Cavanagh was among the guests at the groundbreaking ceremony for Crowne Plaza.
She said once the CNMI reopens its tourism industry, “it is just going to be better for us.”
Jens Von Gierke, founder of Wave Hospitality Advisors Inc., which is managing the renovation, said that the hotel rooms, the lobbies and the reception halls will have new designs.
There will be sports bars, indoor and outdoor, he added. The hotel will have a new pool, and the entire hotel facility will have new air-conditioning and reverse osmosis systems.
“We established a scope, and selected a team to figure out how to make this place a truly world-class hotel with the IHG brand on it,” Gierke said.
Gloria Cavanagh
