BY MARK RABAGO
Saipan Correspondent
GARAPAN, Saipan — A lot of curiosity will surround the Sheraton as it moves ahead with development of a property that has a lot to offer the Saipan community and visitors alike.
MB Capital, which operates Marianas Beach Resort, signed a franchise agreement with Marriott International, Inc. March 28 to finally rebrand the former Hyatt Regency Saipan into Sheraton Saipan.
Peter Gassner, regional vice president for hotel development for the Asia Pacific for Marriott International; said he expects the Marianas Beach Resort to become a full-fledged Sheraton hotel before the year ends.
“Phase 1 is obviously transformation of some public areas …. So, we can actually introduce the brand as quickly as possible. And with the confidence that we have after I met the chief engineer there, and how very well organized [General Manager Gloria C. Cavanagh] was along the way, I'm confident that we will be able to complete Phase 1 and we can open as the Sheraton before the end of the year.”
Gassner, who last visited Saipan in 2023, acknowledged that many in the community still call the hotel adjacent to the American Memorial Park the Hyatt, but said he believes that will change soon. The chain would do everything it could to support a smooth transition, he said.
It’s always an important milestone for Marriott when it signs a franchise agreement for a new hotel, and he believes it signals the revival of the tourism industry of the Northern Mariana Islands, Gassner said.
“As I was traveling around some of the islands during this week in the Pacific, I realized when I was talking to other companies and to competitors and other business leaders — there is a recovery. We hope that it will grow stronger and further and beyond, especially when it comes to the lift capacity. And what we've seen in past projects, when we had moved into a market, we were able to mobilize our partners and consider industries. So, if there's a new hotel and there's a demand for guests to go, the airlines will also hopefully follow. I think the recovery is there and the future of Saipan is bright,” he said.
David Hood, president of MB Capital LLC; said signing the franchise agreement with Marriott International to make the 14-acre property into a Sheraton brand was bittersweet.
Hood also thanked Gov. Arnold I. Palacios for insisting that getting an international hotel brand be one of the conditions for taking over the Hyatt lease.
Palacios said while he was sad to see Hyatt and its owner Portopia Corp. exit the NMI, he was glad that MB Capital was able to step up and bring in another international hotel brand.
Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds also congratulated Hood and MB Capital in a video message. Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” B. Camacho also attended the signing ceremony and.
recognized Hood for his leadership and commitment to invest in the NMI.
Cavanagh said the signing of the Sheraton franchise agreement brought with it an entirely different vibe to the CNMI.
“Today is different. Today we can celebrate the movement of the CNMI as a pristine destination for tourists in this Asia area. There are little things that give us hope, especially nowadays, when there's so many things that are happening around the world. And we would like to present to you one of those little things that make us happy — the signing of this franchise agreement,” she said.
The agreement with follows MB Capital’s Oct. 22 signing of a memorandum of understanding with Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Marriott International.
As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America and the Asia Pacific, in addition to 84 hotels with 23,092 rooms in the pipeline. In 2016, Marriott International purchased Starwood Hotels, and the newly merged company became the world's largest hotel and resort group. mbj