- HOLIDAY INN MOVING AT EXPRESS PACE
The 93-room Holiday Inn Express hotel will open next month (April 2024). This is from Michael Phillips, Senior Project Manager of NH Construction.
NH Construction, a Trinidadian company, is building the hotel at a rapid speed. It will be the government’s second state-owned hotel, following the Cobblestone Inn.
Senior Project Manager Michael Phillips, who has been with NH Construction for over 20 years, informed the Agency for Public Information (API) that the project is on track to finish on time.
According to Phillips, the building’s architecture is disabled-friendly and climate-resilient—built to withstand the catastrophic forces of very high winds and high-speed debris caused by storms.
On Sunday’s Issue at Hand show, Minister of Finance Camilo Gonsalves stated that St. Vincent’s first Holiday Inn Express hotel would be ready in time for the Canadian Bank Note/Winlott Inc. Windward Islands Schools’ Games.
“Most crucially for the Winlott games, the Holiday Inn Express will be open and operational when the athletes from the region arrive. So a number of athletes will be able to remain within walking distance of the Sir Vincent Beache Stadium, which I believe will boost the stadium’s ability to host regional competitions,” Gonsalves added.
In May 2023, Gonsalves revealed that bids for the management of the island’s first Holiday Inn had been launched, with the 93-room hotel set to open in November 2023.
Gonsalves also stated in May 2023 that he hoped that local hoteliers and groups with hospitality experience would make proposals to run the Holiday Inn hotel; it is unclear whether those goals have been realised, as no further announcement has been made.
The project currently employs over 150 individuals, 100 of whom are Vincentians.
The project, which is set to open at the end of April 2024, is sponsored by a CARICOM Development Fund grant and a $52 million investment from the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Holiday Inn Express is located about 8 miles outside of Kingstown, adjacent to the Argyle International Airport, the Hospitality Training Institute, and the Sir Vincent Beache Athletic Stadium.
