Sayeda Akter
The government plans to renovate Dhaka Sheraton Hotel without delay and appoint an international operator to run the five-star hotel for five years. Also, Sheraton is set to extend its contract with the government for three months to May 31.
“The hotel requires immediate renovations and the government is keen to do so, so the hotel can be able to maintain its international standards,” said Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister GM Quader.
“We plan to renovate the hotel partially, as complete renovation will shut the hotel for some time. We don’t want to stop operations at any point in time,” he added.
Quader said one-year shutdown means losses of profit and business to the government and temporary joblessness for the hotel’s 600 employees.
On March 5, Bangladesh Services Limited, a government organisation that owns more than 98 percent of the hotel, ran an advertisement for a second time to appoint a “world-class hotel brand” to operate and manage Sheraton.
The advertisement also invited proposals to manage the hotel under a franchise arrangement.
Earlier, the government had cancelled bids to appoint a company to manage Sheraton under a franchise arrangement. The proposals were not eligible.
Trevor MacDonald, general manager of Sheraton, said its parent company Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide would extend its contract with the government for three months.
MacDonald appreciated the government’s move on renovation and said the hotel might profit more from renovating and reconstructing rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, lobby and bar.
The quest for hiring an international hotel chain started in May 2008 after Starwood informed BSL that it would renew the contract if the government immediately went for renovation.
Starwood’s 25-year-deal with BSL expired on December 31, 2008. The deal was later extended to March 31.
Courtesy of www.thedailystar.net
