Journal Staff
A $400 million hotel project by Honhui Guam LLC, featuring 824 rooms, a CHamoru-themed water park and other first-class amenities for visitors — as well as parking with busing for its approximately 800 employees — could go before the Guam Land Use Commission in October.
This would be the final hurdle in the approval process for the two-tower resort: one tower would be 32 stories, and the other would be 31. If all goes as planned, construction on what could be the tallest and largest hotel on the island will begin in about 18 months, or around 2027. It could take about two-and-a-half years to build.
The project received unanimous approval from the Tamuning Municipal Planning Council in September. Tamuning Mayor Louise C. Rivera said residents raised a variety of concerns when developers first presented the new hotel on the site of the old Royal Palm Hotel. Rivera said projects that create jobs and stimulate the economy are always welcome.
“But you want the right kind of development and the right kind of developer,” Rivera said. “We’re happy with what was presented to us in this second round.”
She wasn’t the only one who appreciated the presentation.
Nonie Amar, of the Guam Environmental Protection Agency, said most of the concerns posed in the previous hearings were addressed. There was one outstanding issue, that is the existing drainage in the San Vitores area. He asked how the developer planned to resolve the flooding. Daniel D. Swavely, project manager, said they were looking at retention basins, or something similar. He committed to meeting with GEPA to ensure they provided options that was acceptable to the agency.
In the first round, residents were concerned about what was originally presented, which included a 37-story tower. “Objections were made for both technical reasons related to the application, as well as neighborhood objections. At the end of the process, before going to the GLUC, the applicant halted the process to figure out what the problem was,” according to application review committee meeting minutes.
The more recent applications were referred to as “version 2.0.”
There wasn’t much difference from the first application regarding traffic: the hotel will tap into the 34.5kV underground line and build a substation on the property.
To address concerns about the size of the hotel, the density was reduced by about 10% to 824 rooms. The heights of the towers were reduced from 32 and 37 stories to 31 and 32 stories. Additionally, the towers were moved back from the beach — from 75 feet to 150 feet. The water park, originally on the residential side of the project, was also moved to the commercial side in response to neighbor requests.
Swavely said they took concerns from the first round seriously and that Honhui’s leadership was happy to find ways to work with the community. “They want to be good neighbors as well as good representatives of the tourism industry,” he told the Journal.
He said the second round of presentations has been “all positive.” The last three meetings resulted in a unanimous decision by the Tamuning Municipal Planning Council to support the Honhui project, with approval presented in a resolution to the GLUC.
“I am now waiting for the planning division to schedule me before the GLUC — which meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month,” Swavely said. “So far, things have fallen into place. And if we haven’t done everything we need to do, and there’s something left out, we’ll make sure it gets done.”
The process for approval begins with a presentation of the applications for to the review committee, which includes 10 to 12 government regulatory agencies. Then there is the land management municipal public hearing, where the case planner from land management is the hearing officer. All landowners within 500 feet receive a certified notice inviting them to attend. Finally, it goes to the municipal planning council for two public hearings.
Given the lengthy process and significant investment of time and money, especially in light of the ongoing tourism slump following the COVID-19 pandemic, the group still reasons the project is worthwhile.
“We believe Guam is going to rebound,” Swavely said, adding that Honhui is a subsidiary of Hongwell Group Taipei, which has built several hotels in East Asia. “From what I hear in the company, they like what they see, and they believe it’s going to work.”
Swavely said the company is “doing things that no other hotel has done.”
For instance, instead of drawing on the existing wastewater capacity, Honhui Guam LLC agreed to pay for 110% of the wastewater and water system upgrades in Tumon to ensure there’s no extra stress on the existing system.
Swavely, who has worked as a consultant and representative for various developers for more than 50 years, said, “We have a lot of really good developers who do good things and want to be good neighbors. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I haven’t seen this level of commitment … and this is such a big project that for it to do these things deserves recognition.”
A Chicago architect designed the concept for the new hotel, with assistance from RIM Architects Guam.
The former Royal Palm Hotel was demolished in 1993 after an 8.1-magnitude quake that caused part of the building to collapse. All that remained was the adjacent parking structure, which had become both an eyesore and a shelter for the homeless. It was also a common topic of discussion at Islandwide Beautification Task Force meetings. Honhui demolished the structure to make way for the new hotel.
Another resort to be built by Vista del Mar International LLC has yet to move forward. In August 2023, the Guam Hybrid Land Use Commission approved a request for more time for an approved tentative development plan. The proposed hotel-resort, multi-family and single-family residential development of more than 53.1 acres comprised of seven undeveloped land lots planned for the Harmon cliff line near Puntan Dos Amantes, or Two Lovers Point, faced public opposition over environmental concerns related to its location on undeveloped limestone forest.
The initial $590 million plans included a high-rise hotel, a water park, condominiums, and residential homes. The design ha s been revised in response to community concerns, with the water park now planned for the plateau above the beach.
Vista del Mar International LLC is comprised of five principals. Richard S. Chi, president and general manager of Future World Corp., is the principal member. mbj
